Down to Earth
by mysticaldragon11
Summary: Two hundred years ago mankind was wiped out forcing what was left of them to flee and go into space, now the time to return to Earth has come, but at what cost? Pairings: Neji/Shika, Naru/Sasu, Gaa/Sai, Kiba/Shino Rated M for future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Down to Earth

**Two hundred years ago the population was wiped out by vampires. Mindless, soulless creatures that killed mercilessly until the human race became all but extinct. The only escape was to go into space to preserve what was left of mankind, with the hope that the vampires would starve and die out. Twenty space Arc's were built to house the five-hundred-thousand people who were lucky enough to make it.**

**Now, the Arc's are dying. **

**It is time to return to Earth. We can only hope that we will survive the return.**

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**Present Day - 2214**

I paced my cell trying to quell the hunger pangs in my stomach. Lunch was supposed to be two hours ago but so far no one had shown up. It was unusual that they would let us go without eating by a certain time everyday.

I began to wonder what could have happened that they would forget. I let out another sigh as the door to my cell opened and the guard entered. His hands were empty and I was disappointed.

However, my hunger would be the least of my worries today.

Taking my arm the guard led me out of my cell. The balconies were full of juvenile prisoners being led to the lower level common room. I looked around noticing that my friends and brother were among the juveniles being herded. A loud speaker came on silencing the entire room.

"This is Chancellor Fugaku Uchiha. A decision has been made in regards to all of you….delinquents. You are being sent to the ground as a way of seeing if we are able to sustain life back on Earth. Have a nice ride down."

The speaker cut out and the room became a loud buzz of constant chatter. I caught my brother's eye in the crowd and the look of anxiety was clear. He was just as scared as I was. We were being used as an experiment for the Chancellor's benefit.

'_What a prick.'_

The guards led us out of the prison chamber, down a corridor to an extraction pod. A drop ship awaited us with its door open like a giant mouth ready to swallow us whole. Inside the seats were in long rows with a three point seat belt system. One hundred and fifty of us were seated and strapped in by the guards.

Once the last person was situated on the drop ship the guards exited and the door was closed. We were on our own as the anchors holding the drop ship were released and we were dropped into space on a descent that would land us on a planet that humans hadn't set foot on in two hundred years.

The silence was deafening as everyone slipped into their own thoughts and fears. What would await us on the ground? Where would we get food, water or shelter? The drop ship would provide the last one for a while, but for how long? We would have to find a stream or a lake for water but would there be animals to hunt" Or did the vampires wipe them out too?

The vampires... Stories have been passed down to all of the younger generations from our ancestors who had boarded the Arc's two hundred years ago. We learned about the tragedy in our history lessons and our parents' clung to their parents' stories who clung to their parents' stories before them.

In our minds, the reason for the Arc's existence was two hundred years in the past, so we now take the stories for granted like a mythical bedtime story. The threat of vampires was as likely as if everyone on the Arc's loved and accepted everyone. And that is very unlikely.

We hit the atmosphere and the drop ship began to shutter. Girls screamed and the boys cursed. The ground was getting closer. I took a deep breath and held onto my seatbelt for a place to put my hands. The drop ship stopped shuttering and evened out alerting us that we were through the atmosphere and headed for the ground at a high rate of speed.

Suddenly the drop ship jerked hard and a series of screams rang out again. The drop ship felt as though something was pulling on it from the outside. It was being dragged back by a force we couldn't see. We touched down on the ground with a thud and everything came to a halt.

Nobody moved for a few moments, trying to decide if we were alright or not. A loud click could be heard through the drop ship as the seat belts released. Slowly, everyone began removing their seat belts and standing up. Someone grabbed the door release and with a slight hesitation the door was opened and for the first time we breathed real air.

Sunlight poured in though the open door, stinging our eyes and warming our skin. One by one we stepped off of the drop ship and planted our feet into the soft dirt of the Earth. Laughing and shouts of glee rang out through the heavily treed area. It echoed through the air and faded on the breeze.

Looking around the drop ship was a sight to behold. Trees covered the area with no end in sight. They stood a hundred or so feet tall and blocked out most of the sky. The sky peeking though was a vibrant blue color with a puffy white cloud or two.

The ground was covered in green grass, fallen pine needles and leaves accompanied by scattered broken branches. The sun cast rays of sun light through the trees and gleamed off of the drop ship. A bright orange colored parachute lay on the ground behind the drop ship casting an orange hue in certain places of the forest.

'_So that was what was jerking us back. Thank Kami for that.'_

Someone touched my arm and I spun to find the culprit. My brother smiled and pulled me into a hug. I hugged him back, _**hard.**_ We hadn't seen each other in almost a year. We weren't the only ones being reunited it seemed. People were hugging each other all around us, some were laughing while others were crying.

"Shikamaru, it has been a long time."

He nodded as we released each other. He looked the same as he did when I last saw him but his eyes were older. He grabbed my arm and led me away from the group. He looked around to make sure that no one was paying any attention to us. He reached into the neck of his shirt and pulled out a key on a chain.

I gave him an inquisitive look as he dropped it back inside of his shirt. Slowly he pulled something out of one of his pockets and handed it to me. I took it and opened it to see a map. Furrowing my brows I handed it back and then he showed me the last thing in his pocket, a compass. He put it away and looked around us once more.

"There is a bunker. The key opens it and the map and compass will lead us to it." He whispered.

"How did you get that stuff? Chancellor Uchiha wouldn't have given it to you so where did you get it?" I asked quietly, looking over my shoulder to make sure we were still alone.

"No, the Chancellor didn't give it to me….Neji did." He said this with a smirk. I rolled my eyes. Being with Neji had gotten him imprisoned and sent to Earth.

"Wait, Neji knew we were being sent down?" When had Neji had time to sneak the stuff to Shikamaru and how had he been able to acquire it in the first place?

"Yeah, he found out a week before we were sent and two days ago he came to see me. He sneaked the stuff in with my meal and there you have it." He said looking over my shoulder to see if anyone was paying attention to us. No one was.

"Okay so we have a solution to the shelter problem but what about food or water?" He nodded and leaned forward.

"There is a river about four or five miles from our current location. There are vomit bags on the drop ship that we can use to carry the water in. As long as no one barfed in any of them we can use them all." I smiled. My brother wasn't called a genius for nothing.

"Two problems down what about food?" Again he nodded as his mind began going through scenarios.

"We can look for berries and maybe the rivers will have fish. We can set up traps for smaller animals if there are any. Certain plants are okay to eat but we will have to find someone who is knowledgeable about them before anyone eats anything poisonous." He shrugged as if he didn't just possibly save all of our lives already.

"We are going to need someone to take charge down here. I think it should be you. You are smarter than anyone down here and we are going to need guidance." I said putting my hand on his shoulder. He sighed in his usual manner and I laughed. Good old Shikamaru.

He walked out to the middle of the group of people and stepped up onto a tree stump. He held his hands up in the air and yelled loudly for everyone to pay attention to him. All eyes turned towards him and the chatter died down.

"I know that we are all excited to be on the ground for the first time. However, we are going to have to pull together to survive down here. I have a few ideas about how to get food and water. Also-

"Hey who asked you to be in charge?" A guy around the age of twenty or so shouted out and a couple of "yeahs!" seemed to follow.

"I did." I called out to the guy.

"Well who the hell are you? I don't want no faggot leading us!" The guy shouted. A gasp went through the crowd as people began to whisper.

"What did you just say?!" One of our friends hollered. Oh yeah I forgot that Naruto was being sent with us.

"I said, he is a faggot. Do you all want to know why our "leader" got sent down here? Why our "leader" was put in prison in the first place? Because he was letting Neji Hyuuga bang him! Neji Hyuuga! One of the most prestigious boys of the fucking Hyuuga clan was fucking him!" The guy hollered and before anyone knew what was happening, Naruto was on him.

Three hits and the guy was lying on the ground spitting blood out of his mouth and running his arm across a bloody nose. A boy with carrot colored hair made his way over and stood by Naruto, He was quite rotund and if it weren't for his arm circling Naruto's shoulder, I would have missed it being Choji.

'_What the hell? Why is he here? Choji never did anything wrong in his life.'_

Naruto must have been thinking exactly that but before he could question it the guy on the ground was getting to his feet. Naruto took a fighting stance once more incase the guy wanted to retaliate. He glared daggers at Naruto and stepped back a couple of steps.

"Alright, look. What the hell does his sexuality have to do with how he leads us?" I asked loudly, drawing the attention back to me.

"Being gay, straight or bi doesn't have any bearing on how one performs a job. It is simply a state of being. It would be like saying that because you are male or female that you will do a better job than the other. Or because one is black or white that one is better at leading than the other. Let's not lose sight of facts.

Facts are these, while you are thinking one step ahead of a situation, my brother is thinking two hundred possibilities to every situation. His IQ outdoes everybody here by a long shot. Right now we have no food, no water and other things will have to be factored in. Why don't we all listen and see what he has to say before passing judgment. Then if you think he isn't a worthy leader we will revisit the issue but, for legitimate reasons only."

I watched as everyone took my words in and mulled them over. People seemed to think it was worth a listen at least. The mouthy guy crossed his arms and huffed in anger. He was going to be a continuous problem and would have to be dealt with at a later date, of that I was sure.

"Okay, so the issue of water. There are probably streams and rivers around here close by. We can fish if there are any to catch. Berries may exist on the bushes around here and we can set up traps for smaller game. That takes care of our food and water problem for now.

We need someone who knows plants and their properties because some may be edible. Also we need someone with any type of medical know how. Herbal remedies can be made from plants and their properties as well. We will need to create spears for fishing and knives for hunting. Anyone with skills on how to make fires will be of great use as well. It is warm now but we don't know what the temperature will be once the sun goes down." Shikamaru looked around the group to see if anyone was going to protest.

"I know plants," A blonde girl said as she moved forward. "I know their properties and which are poisonous and which are not. I can also help with the medicinal herbs." She said proudly.

"Great, you will be very helpful. What is your name?" Shikamaru asked, giving the girl a once over.

"Ino, my name is Ino." She said with a smile.

"Welcome aboard Ino. Anyone else?" Shikamaru asked looking the crowd over.

"I know medicine. My mother was the doctor on one of the Arc's." A girl with strawberry colored hair said.

"Wonderful. What is your name?" Shikamaru asked the pinkette.

"Sakura Haruno." She answered timidly.

"Glad to have you, Sakura. You two girls are going to be crucial to our survival out here." Shikamaru said, giving the two of them a smile.

Both girls beamed with an air of importance. Jealousy raged within the rest of the females in the group. Not all of us could be useful like that but we would all play a part somewhere along the line.

"I know food. As you already know Shikamaru." Choji announced from the back of the group where he still stood next to Naruto who still had yet to fully take his eyes off of the loud mouth he put down.

"Choji, what the hell are you doing down here?" Shikamaru asked raising a brow.

"I will tell you later Shikamaru but could you use my help?" Our chubby friend asked.

"Of course, Choji. No one knows how to cook like you do and you will also be able to tell what is good and what is bad. Thank you for stepping up." Shikamaru said with a warmth he held for his friends and lover only.

"Alright, I estimate the time to be around four o'clock. If we are going to find water in the daylight we should begin our search. Kiba if you and Naruto would collect the barf bags on the drop ship we can carry water in them. Only the clean ones of course. We need to grab something for protection against possible wild life if any, so everyone find a sturdy tree branch with a sharp point if possible. If there aren't enough with points find ones that can club something."

Shikamaru dropped down from his perch and made his way over to Choji. He threw his arm around the chubby boy and gave him a squeeze. Choji happily squeezed back. The two hadn't seen each other in almost as long as the two of us. Choji had been Shikamaru's first friend as a child.

The group scattered looking for tree branches and Naruto and Kiba went to fulfill their own task. The loud mouth hadn't budged when the group dispersed but now he headed for Shikamaru. Concern flashed in Choji's eyes as he caught the man out the corner of his eye.

"You and I are no where near done. I will not be led by you. Watch your back, faggot." He said as he stormed off in anger.

Shikamaru sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. I knew he was trying to keep his cool. It took a lot to make him lose it but once he did all bets were off. Choji rubbed his shoulder and whispered something to Shikamaru. He nodded at his friend with a small smile and turned to me.

"Thank you, by the way. You have a way of getting people to listen one way or another." He said fondly.

"Yeah, yeah. I am just a loud mouth trouble maker who gets in trouble for my opinion." I said with a laugh. Shikamaru laughed too and the tension was broken.

"We are going to have to deal with that asshole at some point. I have a feeling that he is going to be nothing but trouble and something tells me he is bad for the group. I don't trust him." I said quietly.

A dark look cast over Shikamaru's eyes and I knew he knew I was right. I had always been able to read people and their intentions and something about this guy didn't sit well. I had the feeling that if we had anything to fear out here, it would be him.

Kiba and Naruto returned, arms loaded with all the barf bags they could handle and began passing some of them to others to carry. We set out in search of water that my brother already knew where was and hoped that we would reach it before dark. We had never had to fear the dark before but now fear had a whole new meaning.

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**Okay so as you may know this is based off of the new series The 100. I absolutely love that show.**

**In this story, Shikamaru has a sister and she is Clark's character without the medical know how. We will leave that to Sakura. **

**The sister is just there for now. She may have an important role later. I just always thought it would be cool to be Shikamaru's sister. I am basing her character off of how I think she would act in that role.**

**While I normally would never use an OC it is possible that she will be an OC. I can't stand any of the female Naruto characters enough to make his sister one of them. LOL **

**I hope you enjoy the story!**


	2. Chapter 2

Down to Earth Ch 2

Finding water wasn't too hard considering Shikamaru was leading us. Even if he didn't have a map that told us where it was, with his mind he could have found it easily. Upon arrival the group went wild. Everyone headed in different directions to get to the waters edge to drink or play. The girls splashed each other with cupped handfuls of water while the boys looked on in amusement. We may have lived in space all our lives but human nature hadn't changed.

We all knew the boys were hoping to catch a sneak peak of skin through the girls' too thin shirts. The obliviousness of girls hadn't changed much either. They had no clue what the boys were really thinking. Some of the girls may have even been egging it on just to get some entertainment. Shikamaru allowed the fun for a bit while he assessed the area.

An outcropping of rocks covered the west side of the area making an arena like wall. Trees covered the east and south while flat nothingness gave way to the north. The stream ran in a zigzag pattern through the trees to the south and curved back towards the out cropping. It wasn't very deep nor wide but it was clear and cold.

Shikamaru called to everyone to fill the bags as quickly as possible. By looking at the sun, we would have no more than a couple hours left of daylight and it had taken us that long if not longer to reach the stream. Being out here not knowing what was out here with us made it imperative that we hurry.

With the bags filled, we made our way back the way we had come, retracing our steps and committing the route to memory. With one hundred and fifty people roaming about we would be easy pickings, having an idea of what was safe and what was not would be an advantage for us.

"Hey, Shikamaru the guy that called you a faggot isn't among us. I searched the entire group and he is nowhere to be seen. What do you make of it?" Naruto asked looking a bit weary.

"I don't know, maybe he is back at the drop ship pouting. Keep an eye open for him though." Shikamaru sighed and muttered "troublesome" beneath his breath. It made me smile. Some things never changed.

Naruto nodded and gave the group another scan. Sure enough, he was right the guy was nowhere in sight. My gut clenched wondering what the bastard was up to. We walked steadily and even paced for about a half an hour before someone shouted in alarm. Thinking the douche bag had shown and was attacking someone we began looking for a person with murderous intent.

However what we found turned out to be worse at the moment. A big black cat had pounced from the brush and now stood staring down the group. It crouched down its haunches were tense as if it were about to pounce. A feral growl escaped its mouth making my blood run cold. It slunk low and moved steadily in a sideways crouch and without any further hesitation it jumped.

Taking down one of the females of the group, it immediately went for the throat. People screamed and ran in different directions. Shikamaru and I approached with caution, hoping to get the girl away from the cat. It was too late. The girl's neck gushed blood and with a final convulsed breath she stilled, a glassy look coming into her lifeless eyes.

The cat pawed and tore at her flesh pulling chunks loose with his sharp massive claws and pointed teeth. It was sickening to watch and if the tears and cries of the other girls and a few guys were valid, she had had a lot of friends. Shikamaru approached the cat with caution only for another feral growl to come from the depths of the cat's stomach. It was the worst sound I had ever heard. Naruto and Kiba circled around the cat trying to break up its focus. Another growl filled the space. Shikamaru reached forward with his long pointed branch and jabbed the cat in the side.

A great hiss and shriek that would chill your blood ripped through the air. The cat jumped off of the girl and came at Shikamaru only to get jabbed by Naruto. The cat spun and swiped at Naruto and hissed once more before jumping to take him down. Kiba ran at it and jabbed it in the other side with his stick effectively knocking it to the ground.

Pissed off and bleeding from three puncture wounds the cat raced off into the trees and disappeared. The adrenaline left everyone in a rush and we all began to shake. We had been attacked by a natural predator and one of us had paid with their life. One of the boys approached the now dead girl and took off his jacket. He covered up he torn flesh and gathered her in his arms.

Finding a spot in the woods to bury her wasn't hard, digging the grave by hand was damn near impossible. After an hour of everyone taking turns digging a hole deep enough to keep predators away, we buried our first casualty. We had been on Earth less than six hours and had already lost someone.

With heavy thoughts we headed back to the drop ship. By seven we were standing around the drop ship and no one even complained about food. Shikamaru walked onto the drop ship and sat down with a heavy thud. I could tell that his heart had taken a beating losing someone today.

"Malice, maybe he was right. Maybe I am no good as a leader." He leaned forward in his seat and put his head in his hands. I leaned down and kissed his hair. He had always been the type to put everyone before him.

"Shik, shit happens. I know that sounds awful right now and what happened sucks. We were caught off guard, someone died but don't you dare take that burden onto yourself. You can't protect everyone. Everyone out here knows the score and if they didn't they do now. We can sit on a pile of what ifs, but it won't change a damn thing. There are one hundred and forty nine of us out here."

Letting out another long sigh he nodded and sat back. I sat down beside him and took his hand. We took a moment to remember the girl we lost and then with effort we stood and headed for the exit of the drop ship. Shikamaru turned and hugged me. I hugged him back and we stood there taking a moment to just breathe.

Shikamaru pulled away and was about to turn to leave when something caught his eye. I turned to follow his line of sight and I too could see what he was looking at. There was a door in the ceiling of the crop ship and no one had seemed to have noticed it. Shikamaru walked towards it and opened it slowly. A long silver ladder on a slider system slid to the floor as the door opened all the way.

He looked at me and I nodded. He climbed the ladder and I followed. Inside was rounded like the outside of the drop ship but inside held something more precious then reflection. Rolls of tents were strapped to the inner walls with blankets and sleeping bags. I could have screamed in frustration at the damn guards for not mentioning any of this to us.

By estimation there would be enough tents for about half of us. Shikamaru began unbuckling the straps holding everything and laying out the tents to get an estimate of people per tent and how many blankets and bags we had. It was clear we had enough sleeping bags and possible blankets so that was a relief.

"Wow, amazing what you can find if you look hard enough." Shikamaru and I both jumped and damn near collided as we turned to the monotone voice we both knew but hadn't heard in a while.

Turning towards the opening there stood another friend of ours, Gaara. I hadn't seen him among the people when we landed but he had a way of keeping out of sight. I knew he had to be here somewhere as his offense was just as bad if not worse than Shikamaru's. Sleeping with the Chancellor's son was probably just a bit worse.

"Gaara, damn you! I hate when you do that. You could give us a little warning or something." I grumbled as I let go of Shikamaru. I hadn't realized that I had had a death grip on him until he grabbed my wrist to pry me off.

Gaara shrugged and finished his journey up into the cargo space with us. It was quite spacious up here and I had a feeling that this was where we would be spending a lot of our time. Finding the bunker was a must but for now the tents would help greatly.

"How the hell are we going to decide who sleeps where and with who?" Shikamaru asked looking at the spread of tents and sleeping bags around him. I picked up three tents and put them off to the side. Grabbing six sleeping bags and six blankets I put them with the tents and then turned to my brother.

"I say we toss them down and let everyone else work it out. As long as everyone gets a bag and blanket, the tents can be figured out." Shikamaru nodded and began tossing the tents down into the drop ship.

An hour later the bags and blankets were distributed evenly and the tent situation was getting worked out. The three I kept were easily split up. Shikamaru and Choji would share one and after haggling that I didn't need special treatment it was decided that kiba, Naruto and Gaara would share and I would have my own tent.

It may have had something to do with the fact that I am a restless sleeper or maybe out of respect to Shikamaru, the guys would allow me some privacy. Either way I was grateful that they had insisted on it. I like to keep to myself a lot so it worked in my favor.

By nine o'clock that night the sleeping arrangements were settled and everyone was sharing a tent with someone. It hadn't been as bad as we had thought which, was a load off Shikamaru's mind. He had enough to deal with, having one hundred-forty-eight people to worry about.

Shikamaru walked into the drop ship and we followed him wordlessly. We climbed up inside of the upper level of the drop ship and Shikamaru closed the hatch for discretion. We all took a seat and let the situation run over us. We had lost a person today and something told us that we would lose more before we got to the bunker.

Shikamaru showed the guys the key, map and compass and explained about the bunker. There was enough food and water to last us until the rest of our people could join us on the ground. Neji had overheard the council talking about it but they had decided against allowing us access to it.

Knowing that our chances were better with the bunker up our sleeve Neji took a chance and gave Shikamaru the necessities we would need to access it to survive. Every time that Shikamaru mentioned Neji's name I could see the pinch of pain around his eyes. Being apart can't be easy for either of them but then all of the guys sitting here minus Choji were missing their special someone.

Naruto was guilty of sleeping with one of the Chancellor's sons as well, while Kiba was caught sleeping with Shibi Aburame from the councils own son. Once the higher ups had realized that their precious boys were being deflowered and violated by the Arc's bad boys, all hell had broken loose.

Fugaku had separated Sasuke and Sai from Gaara and Naruto so fast that it had made even my head spin. Hiashi, Neji's uncle had called for Shikamaru's head on a platter and Shibi had wanted to kill Kiba for touching Shino himself, council be damned. Instead it had been decided that they would all be imprisoned while the good boys got off Scott-free. I can only imagine how the council decided the fate of the four bad boys for touching their prodigy's. The day the order came through for us to be dropped to the ground must have been a glorious day in the council room.

_None of that matters now. All that matters is trying to survive the next couple of days._

The sun was shining bright the next morning as people bustled about, outside of their tents. Hunger was the issue now and Shikamaru was already up and putting together a plan. He called everyone close to discuss the hunger issue. Nobody questioned his authority today and so far the loud mouth still had yet to surface.

"Okay so it is obvious we have no food here. So what we need to do is put together two hunting parties. We go in opposite directions and scout out the forest for anything we can kill to eat. Keep your eyes on bushes and look for berries, but don't eat any of them until Ino can check them out. We don't need anyone dropping dead out here from poison.

Also we need to make weapons from any metal on the drop ship that we can break off or detach. Knives, spears and poles will be a big help. I need six people for each hunting party and I will only take volunteers, no one is being forced." Shikamaru finished his announcement and dropped to the ground from his stump.

Guys moved forward volunteering themselves for the hunting parties and Shikamaru couldn't be more pleased with the turn out. He ended up with fourteen instead of twelve and so he upped the number per party to seven. A bunch of guys had already moved to the drop ship to find metal to make into weapons. It was easier than it should have been. Along the walls of the drop ship a solid set of pipes ran along the expanse.

They didn't have a purpose as far as we could tell so they were the first things torn off. Using the pipe the rest of the metal came off fairly easy. Knives were crafted from a ton of different things and before noon the hunting parties were armed with metal knives, spears and poles.

Shikamaru gave them the directions he wanted them to go and the hunting parties moved out. Morale in the group seemed to shoot up a notch at the prospect of food and something to do other than sit around wondering what we could expect next. The rest of the group set about settling the camp in a more efficient manner.

Shikamaru ran the idea of building a wall around the camp to keep out predators like the cat and a group of people jumped on the task of building it. It amazed me that we could be so motivated here on the ground when on the Arc's we shirked our duties quite often. The sounds of branches being cut and cleaned carried throughout the camp for the entirety of the afternoon.

By five o'clock or so one of the hunting parties returned with a couple of rabbits and a badger. Choji took them and looked them over for illness or anything that would cause the meet to be bad. Seeing none he set to work skinning them and cleaning them. An our and a half later the second hunting party arrived and three more rabbits were added to the pile along with a couple of groundhogs.

The group cheered as the food was cleaned and cooked however the hunting party wasn't rejoicing. One of the members had gone missing and they hadn't been able to find him. Shikamaru rubbed his hand over his face wearily. I knew he was thinking about going to look for the missing boy himself.

"Shik, you're the leader. You must remain here. I will go and take a couple of guys with me." Shikamaru opened his mouth to protest.

"I will go with her. If he is alive then we will find him. Maybe he just got turned around." A guy said as he stepped in front of the hunting party.

I eyed the guy, trying to place him. He wasn't familiar to me but he had to have come from one of twenty Arc's. He had brown hair that just reached his shoulders in the back but only his jaw on the sides. His bangs were swept to the side in a careless way but didn't take away from his good looks.

He stood the same height as Shikamaru, topping in at just around five feet, ten inches. His eyes were silver/gray and his body was fit and lean. He wore all black like most of the guys from the drop ship and his pale skin stood out against the black perfectly. He stood with his arms crossed waiting for Shikamaru to agree.

"Who are you?" Shikamaru asked with a frown. I could already see the calculating look and the 'can I trust you with my sister?' demeanor.

"My name is Talon. I am good at tracking. If he is out there we can find him. I will keep an eye on your sister. She is safe with me" He said without batting an eyelash at the scowl that took place on Shikamaru's face.

"You aren't anymore or any less human than the rest of us. If something got him out there than how do you think you will stand up to it?" Shikamaru asked crossing his own arms over his chest in a challenging manner.

"Look Shik, do you want him found or do you just want to leave him out there? Is that who we are down here? We just let people remain lost or injured?" I asked stubbornly trying to get the point across that someone's life may be at stake out there.

Shikamaru sighed and his resolve shattered. He tucked his hands into his pockets and gave me the 'I am your big brother and you will listen to me' stare. I knew he was about to give in and I nodded, he was going to warn me and I was going to listen weather I wanted to or not.

"You go, you look, you return. If you find him and he is injured bring him back. If he is…if he is…." Shikamaru couldn't finish the thought or the sentence and I couldn't blame him. I nodded and turned to Talon.

"Let's get a weapon and head out. We need all the light we can get and finding him in the dark is going to be damn near impossible." I began walking over to the weapons table and Talon followed me. The boy standing there gave me a long sharp piece of metal that had been crudely made into a make shift sword.

"Thanks." I gave him a smile and headed towards the exit of the camp. The guys building the wall had done a great job making a gate and a part of the wall already and it looked strong and sturdy. Walking through the gate I took one last look back at Shikamaru. The look I gave him told him I was grateful for his faith in me. It was time I stood on my own two feet and I could only hope that they landed me in the right place.

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**A/N: So chapter two, what do you think? I am trying to keep it from matching the show perfectly as you can see. One girl dead and one guy missing. The troubles have already started and they haven't even been there that long. However it keeps the story interesting in my opinion. **

**So Shikamaru's sister's name is Malice. It is actually from a list of Naruto characters I found but it means something different and is only a nick name for her. So still technically an OC but not. (****Smiles sheepishly.) **


	3. Chapter 3

Down to Earth Ch 3

Talon and I walked into the forest the same direction the hunters had gone. Talon stopped to touch the trees or check the earth around us for signs of blood or struggle. We fanned out but not far enough to lose sight of one another.

The sun was slanting and it made it harder to see, although Talon seemed unhindered.

Shikamaru had insisted that we wait until morning to look for the missing boy, but it was crucial that if he was out there that we find him before something else did. I watched Talon as he stopped and looked up. He looked as if he was searching the canopies of the trees; I gazed up to see if I could see what he saw.

I saw nothing beyond a few feet.

We moved further into the foliage and came together once more. We could see footprints in the dirt and every now and then there would be a broken tree limb. Talon waved me away meaning to spread out to his right while he fanned left. A rustle in the trees drew our attention to a thick grove ahead.

Talon moved forward and held up his hand, he listened for a second then waved at me to step closer to him. I followed closely as he broke through the dense foliage. He stopped quick and stepped back to dodge something at the same time that I ran smack into him. We tumbled to the ground with an angry black cat on top of us.

Talon reached up and wrestled the large head of the snapping jaws. Finally getting a grip on it he snapped the things neck in one hard twist.

The cat lay motionless on top of him and he shoved the cat off and stood up, turning to me slowly to hold out his hand. I took it slowly and let him haul me to my feet. We looked each other in the eye in a silent question.

'Were we both alright.'

It seemed that yes we were and now it seemed we had more meet for the group.

I smiled and knelt by the cat, running my hand over the sleek black fur my fingers brushed over a bloody clump of matted hair. With further inspection I could see a puncture wound in the cats side no bigger than that of my big toe. My brows creased in wonder as I turned the cat over and inspected it.

There were three wounds in the cat's body.

This was the same cat that had killed the first of our group.

It had tracked us almost all the way back to our camp and Talon had somehow killed it before it killed us. I don't care how he did it. I am just glad he did.

Talon lifted the cat onto his back and we moved on towards a deep ravine. It seemed bottomless in depth and the chances of survival from a fall into it were minimal. Talon laid the cat on the ground at my feet and moved to the embankment. Carefully lowering himself over the side he dropped down to a lower plain to get a better look.

There was no sign of our hunter.

Talon climbed back up to the top and repositioned the cat on his back. We moved further down along the ravine.

Talon moved to the edge and as I stepped forward he held me back. I gave him a confused look as simply shook his head. He laid the cat at my feet once more and moved to look in the ravine. Reaching down he moved the leaves and dead branches around uncovering a bloody mutilated corpse.

It appeared to be a ribcage with hunks of meat still hanging on the bones. The smell was assaulting to the senses. I stepped back away from the ravine before the contents of my stomach which wasn't much made a re-appearance. Talon moved the body out of the thicket of dead underbrush and relief washed over me.

It turned out to be nothing more than a dead deer. Talon tossed the corpse back into the ravine and came back to my side. He picked up the cat and we headed in another direction. The sun had slid enough now that seeing was almost impossible.

Talon walked with grace while I tripped over everything and nothing.

We made it almost all the way back to the hunters' original starting position when Talon stopped suddenly. He turned to say something to me when something jumped from the trees and landed on me, hard. I hit the ground and the weight on top of me seemed massive. A moment later Talon turned and pulled a person off of me.

I sat up and winced at the pain in my shoulder. I looked at the person that Talon had pulled off of me and my heart stopped. We had found the hunter, his eyes were wide and he shook like a leaf. Talon snapped his fingers in front of his face a couple of times to get his attention. Lot of good it did. The boy was catatonic.

I stood up and brushed the dirt and leaves off of me and tried to find my bearings. Talon helped the boy to his feet and grabbed the cat. I watched the boy on the way back to camp until I could no longer see anything clearly. He never spoke a word.

We began making so many twists and turns in the dark that I couldn't seem to keep up with them. I turned one way only to run into a tree and then the other to trip over a rock. I was becoming frustrated at how easy Talon seemed to have it and was about to voice my opinion when I lost my footing and went down.

I seemed to fall forever before I hit the ground, _**hard**_ once again. Only this time there was damage. My entire upper body tensed up and screaming pain shot through me. I couldn't move my head or shoulders and the pain was like a searing hot poker all through me. I closed my eyes and tried to breathe as normal as possible.

Blood was strong on my lips as I coughed and the next thing I saw was black-nothing-ness. I welcomed it as the pain slipped away from me. I thought I heard my name once but it may have been my pain clouded mind as I let myself fall into oblivion. I felt myself begin to float and Shikamaru was my last thought as I succumbed to the darkness.

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I awoke to the sounds of people talking all around me. He pain was awful. Someone had wrapped me up in a blanket and I was sure I was upstairs in the drop ship. The voices around me blended and blurred my mind. I couldn't hold onto any one of them. The taste of blood was still heavy in my mouth and I was damn sure I had ruptured something.

A wet cloth was placed on my head and someone was wiping something from my lips. I focused my attention on the person before me and tried to smile. Shikamaru was the one holding a towel on my head while Kiba washed the blood from my face. Naruto leaned over to look into my eyes as a female voice rang in my ears.

"I've done what I can. I'm not a surgeon and I can't tell if anything is broken or ruptured although she is bleeding from somewhere. We can only hope that she is strong enough to survive and recover. I'm sorry Shikamaru but it doesn't look_"

"Don't. I don't want to hear it. She will be fine. She is a fighter and this is nothing more than bumps and bruises. She is bruised and sore, nothing more." Shikamaru said darkly. He stood up and turned towards Sakura as if to slap her for such words. She nodded and left quickly.

Bruised and sore? I was a lot more than that. Something was terribly wrong if the pain was anything to go by. I was bleeding somewhere internally and I was certain my back was broken. I never got a chance to voice this as I passed out into the darkness once more.

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Shikamaru glared hard at Talon. He was beyond pissed. Sure he had brought back some viable meat but his sister had taken a dive off of a cliff. Anger radiated through him as he clenched his fists. Talon lowered his gaze. He had promised Shikamaru that nothing would happen to his sister and now she was broken and bleeding.

"I'm sorry. I swear to you that I was keeping an eye on her_"

"No apparently you weren't or she wouldn't be up there coughing up blood and unable to move. I trusted you with my sister and you let me down. Do not ever ask me to trust you again." Shikamaru turned and stormed off away from Talon before he decided to get violent.

Talon closed his eyes and cursed himself. He had made a promise and he had broken it. Well if that didn't just suck. He turned and walked away from the drop ship to find a corner of camp to sulk in for a bit. He needed distance and to clear his head. It hadn't been easy bringing back an injured Malice to a pissed off Shikamaru.

The first sound of thunder rolled through the sky adding its two cents to an already crappy situation. Talon glared at the sky. It would have to add insult to injury. He leaned against the wall of the compound that was damn near finished. With as many people as they had it was a fast task to accomplish. Talon was impressed by the motivation.

Shikamaru walked across the camp talking to a few people here and there. Before talon's eyes everyone banded together to grab the parachute and straighten out any wrinkles in it. Lines were cut to separate it from the drop ship and they spread it out as far as it would go.

Shikamaru walked back into the drop ship and climbed the ladder to the top. Kiba still sat looking a bit grim as he watched over Malice. He hated that he couldn't do anything and she had always been so nice. She was wild and cocky like him making them good friends. Here on the ground they had gotten to talk and hang out a little more and now she lay here in bad shape and he was pissed.

Naruto handed Kiba some water and he gave him a small smile. Naruto had a great outlook on everything. He seen Malice and believed she would beat nature and come through just fine. He believed it so much that he was still able to grin. Kiba wanted to believe it but he was more of an optimist.

Shikamaru refused to talk about it, at all. The possibility that she could die wasn't a possibility at all for him. He like Naruto believed she would win this fight. Gaara hadn't said anything one way or another but Kiba thought he could read it in his eyes that it was a lose, lose situation.

The thunder outside rumbled again and Shikamaru couldn't help but think that it somehow suited his mood. If he were any less than human he would kill Talon with an easy heart. However, he knew it was as much his fault as it was Talon's. He allowed her to go with a boy he had never seen before, going on faith.

He could really have used Neji here right about now, if only to tell him that he was being unreasonable. Or maybe Neji would do what he usually did and that was just to sit and hold him while he ranted. He missed him something fierce and this was the first time since landing that he had found a moment to mourn the separation.

Closing his eyes he took a deep breath and fought the prickle of tears that threatened to slide out. He couldn't afford to lose himself to the pain now. He had too much to do and showing weakness wasn't a good idea, especially not in front of all of these people who were counting on his mind to keep them alive.

Gaara slid an arm around Shikamaru's shoulders and gave them a light squeeze. Shikamaru looked up at his red haired friend and nodded. It was time to get up and get on. He stood up and walked back out of the drop ship to look at the progress of the carving of the cat and the work on the wall.

He was impressed with the progress of the wall. It was damn near finished and within the next day willing all went well it would be. They would have some sense of security. The parachute was being folded up to begin preparing a wider scale shelter for the drop ship entrance.

The drop ship was huge but when you had one hundred and fifty people going in and out it became necessary to add more space. Plus too many of the group were complaining about being inside of the drop ship feeling like being confined to the cells they had resided in. They wanted freedom without exposure.

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I woke to the feeling of vibration. It took me a moment to realize that I was shaking uncontrollably. My injuries were either putting me in shock or I had caught one hell of a chill. My money was on the first. I couldn't tell if I was still in pain or if I had become paralyzed.

My head began to pound and my body tensed harder. I could feel a tingle every now and then like something regaining circulation after falling asleep. My hands felt like ice and breathing was shallow. Commotion all around me alerted me to the presence of people. I heard Kiba speaking quickly to someone else and then another blanket was placed over me.

"She is in shock. Her injuries are substantial. I can't do anything without proper equipment. I'm sorry there is nothing I can do for her. All we can do is ride this out." Sakura said thickly. She sounded as if she were crying. I felt bad for her but I was too busy dealing with trying not to swallow my tongue and calm myself the best I could.

Shikamaru waved her out of the upper level and sat down next to me. He took my hand in his and began to sing a song our mom had sung to us when we were little. It helped because my body began to calm even though it fought not to. I closed my eyes and let the words wash over me.

I was never more grateful in my life as I was in that moment that my brother cared enough to drop his guard and sing in front of our friends. He had always been my hero and he had never failed me, not once and in that moment I knew, he never would. Lightning cracked across the sky and the clouds moved in all around us.

A storm was coming, but we were going to be okay. We were united.

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**A/N: A bit shorter this time but things have started to progress. At least I think so. What will happen to Malice and how will they endure the storm? Keep reading to find out.**


	4. Chapter 4

Down to Earth Ch 4

The Arc

Chancellor Uchiha sat in his office going over the latest reports from the other Arc's. Nothing but the same old thing. The Arc's were having one small crisis after another. He grimaced at the stack and pushed them aside. He would do what he had been doing, send engineers and mechanics to fix the problem and move on.

He picked up a remote on his desk and pressed a button. A screen to the left of him came on and the one hundred and fifty prisoners appeared. With the exception of one that is. He had watched her get taken down by the cat and what a brutal death that had been. Now he watched as the kids on the ground struggled against the wind as a storm blew in.

He hadn't expected them to die right away but he had expected that they would be a hell of a lot more lost then they were. They had banded together and somehow order had been brought to the group. His jaw tightened as he watched Shikamaru give out orders to get the parachute in place to make a shelter over the entrance of the drop ship.

People hauled the massive orange tarp over the doorway of the drop ship and long poles were stabbed into the ground while vines and string tied the flaps to them. He could see the first rain drops begin to fall and watched as some of the kids stood outside to feel it for the first time.

A shock of blonde hair came into view as Naruto stepped out of the drop ship and stood next to Shikamaru. The Chancellor bristled thinking about how he had found the blonde deviant sexually assaulting his son. His fingers tightened on the remote and the plastic groaned in protest.

If he had had his way he would have put the blonde and the red head to death rather than give them a chance at survival on the ground. The only solace he found was that they couldn't get anywhere near his sons again. Still the fact that the two weren't suffering enough for his liking left a bitter taste in his mouth.

His door swung open and he looked up his mouth thinning out cruelly. Who would dare just barge in here? He was about to hit the power button on the remote when Hiashi came into view. He relaxed if only slightly.

The man was on his last nerve.

"Hiashi what can I do for you?" The Chancellor turned his eyes back to the screen to observe the prisoners.

"I see you have them under surveillance from up here. Clever." Hiashi watched as the kids finally secured the parachute as a shelter to block out the weather.

"Yes, it seems that your Nephews playmate has taken charge on the ground." The Chancellor smirked as he caught the tension ripple off of the other man at those words.

"Do not refer to that…..that delinquent in any type of partnership with my nephew. It was a phase and it has passed. Besides weren't your own twins into something similar?" Hiashi raised an eyebrow and smiled sarcastically at the Chancellor he had considered a somewhat friend over the years.

"You've made your point. What do you want, Hiashi?" The Chancellor ran a hand wearily over his face.

"I just came to inform you that the council wants a meeting about the problem on Arc twelve. We need to discuss the problem and address it." Hiashi said seriously. There was only so long you could sweep a problem under the rug before it became too obvious to hide.

"Alright. We will meet tomorrow around nine AM. Tell the others and I will make sure we have an answer to give. Oh, and let Shibi know that Shino has a place in the lab if he wants it. I don't know what that kids fascination with bugs is but, whatever." He shrugged and waved a hand at Hiashi in dismissal.

Hiashi grunted something that the Chancellor didn't hear and left him to his thoughts.

'_Arc twelve. Keeps stalling and losing power. How to fix it…..'_

A soft knock echoed on his door and he sighed heavily. Would he ever get a moments peace? He didn't answer right away hoping that maybe they would get the hint and leave him be. No such luck occurred as the door swung open. He scowled about to tear into the intruder until Mikoto's face appeared.

He smiled instantly and stood from his desk to meet her half way. He held her in his arms and kissed her softly, brushing the long strands of ink black hair from her face. She giggled like a school girl and he felt his heart melt. Only she could ever do this to him. Without hesitation he took her hand and led her out of his office.

They walked the corridors to their quarters and went about their evening routine before dinner. He sat down in the living room and took the offered glass of bourbon Mikoto gave him. Downing the strong alcohol he sat the glass down and began taking off his tie and his dress shoes.

Getting comfortable he watched as she brought out plates of food from the mess hall. It was the only intimate dinner they could have here and she made a point to do this once a week regardless of anything going on around them. He was grateful. It helped relax him and take his mind off of other things that had been plaguing his mind as of late.

After the meal was done they kicked back on the sofa to watch some television and cuddle. After five kids, she deserved more than just a snuggle on the couch but she never once complained. He guessed that she was happy with what they got. She had always been a simple woman.

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Sasuke slipped down the corridor to his father's office. He had watched his mom enter and take his father with her when she left. He had a small opportunity to see what was going on with the Arc's. He was tired of the whispering and hush, hush attitudes of people. Something was wrong but what could it be?

Slipping into the door he shook his head. His father was getting very laxed as of late. He rarely ever left his door unlocked and tonight was a prime example of how overworked his father was. Sasuke walked over to the desk and picked up the papers lying in upheaval all over the surface.

Reports from the Arc's were in dark black penned ink while everything else was in blue. Simple yet important. He flipped through the stack of Arc reports and let his fingers flow carefully across the words. Arc twelve was experiencing some power failure while Arc two had suffered an oxygen scare a couple of weeks ago.

What was happening to the Arc's?

Reading further he got the same on the rest. A malfunction with water here, a power surge there or oxygen levels dropping or rising to dangerous proportions. It seemed that Arc seventeen was on the oxygen watch list. Sasuke felt a chill run down his spine. Was the reason Naruto had been dropped on the ground bigger than what his father had told him?

'_I hope not. It's bad enough that he claims it was because he didn't want a boy like him touching a prodigy like me. Hn'_

Sasuke tossed the papers back on his father's desk where he found them and turned to leave. A remote caught his eye and he picked it up. His father had a rule that Television was inappropriate while more important things were in play at the moment. Sasuke frowned and turned to look for a tv.

He found the screen on the wall to the left of the desk. What was his father watching all alone in his office? Probably something like porn or something his mother would disapprove of. He pressed the power button and his body froze. On the screen was the hundred and fifty prisoners dropped to the ground.

His father had been watching them from up here. He searched frantically for the blonde hair of his lover. He found him standing just outside of the makeshift shelter talking to Gaara. He looked okay and there didn't seem to be anything wrong with the blonde. He wondered if the blonde missed him or if he was having the time of his life on the ground.

He watched until the group disappeared inside of the drop ship. Naruto was one of the last to go in and Sasuke felt his heart clench. Seeing Naruto again even if it was just for a moment made him smile even if his heart shattered into a million pieces. He turned the screen off and made his way out of his father's office.

He hadn't expected to find the things he had but he was glad that he had discovered that his father had some kind of connection to the ground. Even if you couldn't hear them on the ground, you could make out enough to know that they were alright. Sasuke felt a little better knowing that Naruto was okay but it made it harder to accept the separation.

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Hiashi watched his nephew move through his kata positions. Discipline and focus were the two main rules of training. Hyuga's were graceful and fluid. They were steadfast and strong in heart and mind. The body is a weapon to be wielded by the owner for any such purpose the clan sees fit.

Even though the clan was down to three members only, Hiashi lived by those rules of old. Neji had been trained in those rules of old. Now he was being molded into something magnificent. His mind and his body did not belong to him but to the Hyuga name and legend.

Hiashi watched as Neji's eyes clouded over in pain. There was nothing physically trying that would draw the look so it had to be mental and psychological.

'_That damn Nara kid! He really got his hooks in deep, didn't he? What a waste.'_

"Focus Neji. Clear your head of distractions. Use your brain the way it was meant to be used. Forget anything else. Anything else is just a waste of time." Hiashi said sternly. Neji placed his hands together and put them up to his lips. He closed his eyes and breathed through his core.

_Focus. My body is a weapon and my mind its conduit. _

Neji opened his eyes and moved back into his kata. He kicked his leg up and turned to bring his foot down solidly on the floor only for his other leg to cramp and buckle bringing him to the floor with a yelp of pain. He wrapped his hand around his calf and massaged. It slowly began to loosen.

"I told you that boy would be nothing but trouble and look at you now. You're weak. You let your body become laxed and instead of training you allowed that boy to defile you in ways that can never be forgiven." Hiashi spat out the last part like it tasted awful in his mouth.

"Yes uncle. I'm sorry. I will do better. I promise." Neji stood and bowed to Hiashi before leaving the dojo. He made his way home and took a hot shower to relieve the muscle ache. His mind wandered to Shikamaru and for the first time since the drop ship left, he cried.

Every part of him ached for the love he had lost with Shikamaru. He had believed that it wouldn't matter. He had always thought that no matter what happened between them it would always be fixed by seeing each other or just by a touch. All of the options he had taken advantage of were now as gone as the drop ship. It left him feeling lost and a bit helpless.

He crawled into bed and lay staring at the stars through the window. Shikamaru had one told him that his eyes reminded him of the brightest stars. Neji had said it was corny but now he cherished those words. His arms ached with emptiness and his heart fractured a little more. Shikamaru was no longer a part of him and it stung like mother fucker.

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Shino entered the lab. He knew he was early but he couldn't wait to get started doing anything. Anything that would keep that wild brown hair and Cheshire cat grin at bay. Kiba, the wildest most obnoxious boy on the ship. Naruto running a close second. He laughed as loudly as he made love. Kiba never held anything in.

Shino was the quiet one, the one that tried to conserve but with Kiba as your lover it was a losing battle. Now he was gone. There was a void that shouldn't be there but it was there and getting bigger. Every night he saw him in his dreams and every day he woke up cold and alone. Kiba had brought him to life.

His light had been bright when Kiba was here. Now it was extinguished and he held no want to ever shine that brightly again. It was too painful. Kiba had shown him so many things. Colors were brighter, sounds were like music to his ears. He found joy in everything.

Now there was no joy. Only pain. Only anguish. Only loss.

He sat down at the table and began examining the bugs in the containers. These bugs had been brought from earth and bred to help with the fertilization of their food and medical. Lately the bugs had been dying and there was no way of knowing why. Shino would figure it out though. It would be a welcome distraction.

The lab tech came in and gave him a smile. She removed the lid from one of the containers and handed the container to him. He took it and dumped the dead bugs on the slide of a microscope. Taking a look through the scope he saw different anomalies in each one.

One had simply starved to death while another was old. One had eggs still inside of her and yet she had died before birthing. He studied a young male and wondered what the cause of his death had been. He was relatively healthy yet dead all the same. Shino poured himself into the study of the bugs and before he knew it, it was time to go to lunch.

He sat in the mess hall moving his food around his plate. Sasuke and Sai joined him and they began with their normal pleasantries. Soon the conversation turned to Sasuke's discovery of the Arc reports and the screen in his father's office. Sai looked a bit concerned while Shino looked a bit flabbergasted.

"So you're telling me that he can see them on the ground? How is that possible?" Shino asked laying his fork down. His appetite forgotten.

"Yes, he has a monitor in his office that is connected to them somehow. I thought maybe it was rigged to the drop ship but when they move away from the drop ship anywhere in the camp it moves with them. I think it is satellite linked somehow." Sasuke shrugged and took another bite of his salad.

"So did you see Gaara?" Sai asked looking at Sasuke with a pain in his eyes that reflected off Sasuke's heart.

"Yeah, he looks good. They both did. I didn't see any injuries so I think they are okay. There is no audio so I don't know what they were talking about but they look alright." Sasuke nodded and picked up his water.

"What about Kiba. Did you see him?" Shino asked his voice low and his hands shaking.

"No I think he must have been in the drop ship but I'm sure he is okay. Naruto didn't look distressed and if something had happened to Kiba, Naruto would have let it show." Sasuke said reassuringly. Shino smiled and nodded even though his stomach felt tight and it felt extremely hot at the moment.

"So what do you think they will do with the Arc's? If as you say there are problems arising on the Arc's with oxygen and power, they have to do something." Sai asked with a far off look. Red hair and green eyes haunted him day in and day out.

"You would think. I am assuming that they have a plan to fix them but what I wonder is if these problems have anything to do with the reason they sent the hundred and fifty to the ground. What if something bigger is going on here and they are testing Earth to see if it is habitable enough to return all of us there?" Shino frowned at the idea that the Chancellor would be cold hearted enough to use the hundred and fifty for an experiment.

Although, worse things have happened on the Arc's.

Shino thought about the bugs he had studied this morning. If the bugs were dying could it be that there were bigger problems on the Arc's that no one was talking about? Dread felt heavy in his gut as he returned to the lab. Oxygen deprivation could have killed the bugs or carbon dioxide could be leaking in from somewhere.

Shino sat down to reexamine the bugs. He had a new reason to look them over and a whole slew of new possibilities to look into.

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**A/N: So not too much going on in this chapter. Just wanted to give everyone a glimpse of the activities on the Arc. Sasuke snooped and discovered that the hundred and fifty are being watched. Neji is losing focus and Hiashi is not happy. Shino is looking into the cause of the bugs dying on the Arc which could be something bigger than just the bugs dying and the Arc's are facing some mechanical issues. **

**Next chapter will go back to our group on the ground. **


	5. Chapter 5

Down to Earth Ch 5

The wind began whipping in gusts that had the tents coming loose from the ground and the parachute that had been put over the entrance tot eh drop ship fluttered angrily as the wind picked up in its intensity. People scrambled about to secure the tents or tear them down to save them.

The kid we found and brought back sat rocking back and forth in the base of the drop ship. He still refused to speak and his eyes just stared straight ahead. Sakura had done all that she knew to do but it was in vain. Shikamaru rubbed the bridge of his nose as he looked at the ever darkening sky.

Kiba sat close to Malice trying to warm up hands that felt as though they were stuck in an ice box. She drifted in and out of sleep and every time she woke she was a bit more disoriented. The shock had taken its toll on her body and her mind. Kiba cursed under his breath, he felt useless.

The first drops of rain began falling and it didn't take long for sheets to follow. In seconds the camp was soaked and everyone was headed for the drop ship. Once the last person entered, Shikamaru ordered the flaps closed and secured until the storm passed. No one seemed to mind being ordered to remain inside.

Talon paced back and forth beneath the hatch door to the upper level. He knew he owed Malice and apology but he knew if he went near her that Shikamaru would probably mortally wound him. He would have to wait until there was less chance of that. With a sigh he made his way towards the entrance and sat down.

The cool wind on his face felt good as the wind and rain slammed against the drop ship. Outside, trees were being bent to the mercy of the wind and branches were breaking off left and right. The ground shuddered with the force of the thunder and lighting cracked loudly against the sky.

Gaara and Naruto made their way up top of the drop ship and settled in to wait out the storm. Shikamaru remained in the lower section to retain his leadership and make sure that everyone was fairing well. Also it kept him from looking at Malice and seeing the truth he refused to accept.

The storm wreaked havoc for three hours straight and then slowly died out. By the time it passed the sun had set and night was upon them. A few people took their chances and stepped out into the cold air to see what damage had befallen the camp. Branches and debris littered the entire camp.

Part of the wall had been taken down by a tree branch and water rushed in rivers for the low spots. A group of kids went and removed the tree from the wall and fixed the section to rebuild the sense of security. Within an hour the camp was deemed good enough until morning for everyone to settle in and sleep.

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The sun shone brightly the next morning and the only evidence of last night's storm was the debris being cleared out of camp. The ground had mostly dried and the air had begun to warm with the rays of the sun. For the most part people were in a chipper mood. Shikamaru couldn't have been more relieved.

Talon found his opening to see Malice when Naruto, Kiba, Gaara and Shikamaru had left to get breakfast. He slid through the opening and sat by the dozing girl's side. He took her hand and shook his head. He had been negligent and she had paid the price. If anyone in this camp would accept or understand him, he believed it would have been her.

With her impending expiration, he would have to leave. He knew this deep inside of himself. If Shikamaru hated him for his mistake than how would anyone else be able to befriend him? He laid the pale hand slowly onto the shivering from before him and stepped back.

"Talon, you're here." She whispered so low he almost didn't hear her, but he had and he stepped forward once more.

"Yeah I couldn't come before, I'm sorry. Your brother doesn't think much of me and he forbids anyone from coming up here around you, unless it is the four others you know. I am so, so sorry. I had no idea that you were struggling to keep up and that I was moving too fast. I wish I could go back and change it." Talon whispered the last part and she strained to hear him.

The look on his face was one of pure pain and anguish. Holding out her hand as much as the pain would allow she waited for him to take her hand. He did with hesitation as if touching her would somehow strike him down. She squeezed his fingers slowly and then smiled.

"It wasn't your fault, you know. It was dark and it wasn't your job to baby sit me. You were carrying the cat and leading Mr. Catatonia. It was just human error on my part." Her face took on a serious look as she held his hand tighter. "Talon….I know what my status is. I'm going to die. I am bleeding internally and my back is broken. Shikamaru won't accept it but you have to. I need you to…to finish me.

I know that I will die anyway but, if you were to finish it quickly then Shikamaru can move forward without me holding him back." Talon dropped the cold hand and jerked away. How could she ask that of him? He turned and left quickly trying to put distance between her and those words.

I lay thinking about my words to Talon and how they might have been a bit forward but dammit, with a broken back and internal bleeding there would be no way to recover. Shikamaru would never carry out my wishes and neither would any of the four boys we called friends.

I could feel the life slipping a little at a time from me and wondered how much longer I would hold on before my body shut down. If the bleeding kept up, I would bleed to death. If the broken back caused any infection which was likely the infection would shut down my organs and I would die. It was inevitable.

I lay there waiting for what seemed like hours before Kiba appeared and asked how I was feeling. I know he was trying to be positive but the look was in his eyes. He knew there was no good answer or positive answer to give. I smiled anyway to relieve some of the stress he was feeling about the situation.

He helped me drink some water and then wiped the blood that dribbled down my chin. I could tell he wanted to say something on Shikamaru's behalf but I already knew why Shikamaru was staying away. He couldn't handle the outcome and I believe that I would have been the same way had the positions been reversed.

Kiba left me to my thoughts and I began to drift into a light doze. The pain was bad enough that sleeping fully was out of the question. The only good thing was that the feeling in my shoulders was leaving slowly. I think the break in my back is beginning to take its toll and my body is beginning to feel the paralysis that my lower half already felt.

I was sad by the facts but if I was going to die anyway than not feeling the pain was good to me. I wanted to die peacefully and not suffer. I wondered if I had done something at some point in my life that I was warranted this punishment as compensation. If I did I couldn't remember it.

I remember stealing food from the kitchen once with a couple of other kids for kicks. There was no shortage of food so it wasn't a big deal but maybe there is a shortage now and it is coming back to bite me in the ass. I did lie to mom and dad one time about breaking a glass. I told them that Shikamaru had done it.

Maybe that was it. This was the price for lying. Note to self and to all drop ship groupies, if you lied in the past, make peace with it now. I laughed and a cough seized me causing awful pain and blood to fly from my mouth all over my hands and face. I groaned as the pain began to settle.

I was reaching hysteria it seemed. If a thought like that could make me laugh then I should steer clear of any knee slappers. The thought felt dark and my mood plummeted. I tried to clear my mind of anything and meditate as I had seen Neji do. It really wasn't an easy task. I had never been able to sit still for very long.

I heard the hatch door open again and this time Shikamaru entered. He glanced towards me and fear spread across his face at the blood covering mine. He quickly wet the cloth and washed the blood off of my face with care that he had only shown me a few times. Like the time I broke my arm protecting him.

_**That should cancel out the lie I told about him….**_

I gave him a small smile as he brushed my hair out of my face. He wouldn't ask me how I was feeling and he wouldn't offer false hopes. He would simply go about things as if this was nothing but a minor bump in the road. I admired him for that. He wouldn't make me feel worse when it was time to say goodbye.

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Three days passed since Malice fell off the cliff. She was hanging on somehow but it was taking its toll on her and everyone close to her or Shikamaru. Night was settling once more and everyone had pretty much gotten the tents back in their order after the storm. It has been a week since the drop ship landed and nothing is going as planned.

People hung out and talked all through the camp, no one was tired enough to sleep it seemed so everyone hung out in the open thinking they were safe. Of course they couldn't have known otherwise. A soft keening noise rose within the camp and no one seemed to pay attention to it at first.

It grew louder with each passing second before someone finally took notice. The catatonic boy stood in the camp, eyes wide and a screech ripping through him as people seemed to drop from the sky out of the trees. They dropped into the camp with a speed and strength beyond any human.

In the blink of an eye twenty-seven people were either killed or taken. By the time the chaos was over the camp was stunned into silence. Kiba ran into the drop ship and up to the upper level to get Shikamaru. Everyone gathered around the broken and bleeding bodies of six people. There was no sign of the others anywhere.

The catatonic boy was among the six dead as Shikamaru counted and recounted several times. Shaking his head he counted again thinking he had to be wrong. They were down to one-hundred-twenty-one people and one injured. Only one explanation could be made for the occurrence.

The vampires weren't gone. They had somehow remained. If the bite marks on the torn out throats were anything to go by, they were still vicious killing creatures. With the new terror surrounding the camp, the drop ship became the new place to remain at night. Shikamaru sat down and rubbed his hand over his face. How could he fight something that he couldn't even see?

Kiba and Naruto sat looking at him with expectant looks. He could feel the stares but what the hell did they expect him to say? He wasn't an expert on vampires. They were out smarted and out ranked. Vampires were lethal and fast. If every bedtime story ever told about them, there was no way to fight them and live.

Shikamaru stood up and kicked the wall of the drop ship hard. His knee took the impact with a twist and he swore. His foot throbbed and he welcomed the pain At least he could think clearer with pain. His mind was a scattered mess and the vampires only made it worse. When the hell would they ever catch a break?

Talon entered the upper level and Shikamaru scowled hard at the bastard responsible for his sister's fall. Talon held up his hands in surrender and closed the hatch with his foot. He eyed the group of five boys and closed his eyes for a moment. Kiba glared and Naruto growled. Choji and Gaara stood to make the guy leave and Talon raised his hands a bit higher.

"You'd better have a damn good reason for being up here anywhere near me." Shikamaru hissed.

"I think you all need to hear what I have to say. It pertains to the vampire situation." Talon said keeping his eyes trained on all five boys hoping to not make waves.

"What you have to say is irrelevant because you know as much as we do and that ain't shit." Kiba growled low in his throat.

"That is where you are mistaken. I know a lot about vampires. I know how they think and how they move and what will kill them." Talon watched to see if he had their interest, it seemed he had Shikamaru's.

"How do you know?" Shikamaru asked wearily. If this guy so much as breathed wrong he was going to sick the other guys on him.

"I know because…..I am…a vampire." Talon let the words roll over the group and watched as each face took on a different look. Shock, anger, fear, and disbelief were the looks he had expected. He never thought anyone would get close enough to practically break his jaw.

Naruto had flown from his seat so fast that Talon hadn't been ready. Blood pooled in the corner of his mouth and he reached up to touch the tender jaw. He looked at Naruto with a look of pure surprise. It had been a long time since anyone had gotten the drop on him. Talon kept calm as the bruise that formed on his jaw became visible.

Shikamaru stood up and pulled Naruto back from Talon. He stepped up in front of the guy to look at him eye level. A look of anger burned in the dark orbs that stared the other down. He grabbed the front of Talon's jacket and slammed him against the wall of the drop ship.

"You son of a bitch! You have been among our people since we landed. You just blended yourself in hoping to never be found out. What are you doing? Spying for the vampires? Are you here to see how many of us there are and which ones will be the easiest to pick off? Why are you here?" Shikamaru gritted out.

"I'm not here for any of those reasons. I'm here because you are all, well….human. There aren't as many vampires like me out there anymore. The vampires who attacked us, **you**, are barbaric. They have no feeling for anyone but their lust for blood or sex. They rape and kill mercilessly.

My kind does not. We try to be civilized. We wanted to be civilized for when the people returned to Earth. We want peace, we want to live amongst the humans and not be treated as animals. I realize it makes it hard when we still have ones like **them** out there." Talon looked down and away from Shikamaru. His gaze fell on Malice instead.

"I am truly sorry about your sister. I could not have known she would fall but being a vampire, I should have. I will leave if that is what you wish but you must know how to fight them first." Talon looked at Shikamaru once more with determination.

"Shikamaru, you know if he leaves without helping us, we won't last out here. There will be nothing for the people to return to." Choji said a bit apologetically. He held up a hand and gave a half shrug.

Shikamaru sighed in frustration and let go of Talon. He turned and took his seat once more. He looked at the four guys who he called best friends and took each of their lives into account. He would not let them die out here over his stubborn pride. He turned to Talon and nodded.

"You have the floor. Make sure you use it wisely." Shikamaru said and sat back to listen.

Talon nodded and that was all the thanks he would give, knowing it would only anger Shikamaru. He took a seat and collected his thoughts. He needed to be able to give them all of the fine points and make sure that they understood that taking down vampires wasn't easy but it **was** possible.

"Okay, first you need to know how they think. Vampires are hungry, all the time. They never get enough blood. The barbaric ones will move in for a kill with tunnel vision. That is when you must strike them. They will go for the weak and that is when the strong should move against them.

Vampires like to hide. It helps them get an advantage point over their prey. As you know they came from above, in the trees. They used the trees to hide their presence until they were ready to strike. It gave them the perfect opportunity considering that no one expected it.

A wooden stake through the heart is how you kill them. Sunlight is a myth. It drains our energy and makes us extremely tired but it isn't deadly. We have evolved from that long ago. Holy water is just water and crosses are just religious fodder. Garlic is good on anything spicy if you like spice but for us it just gives us bad breath.

A wooden stake through the heart is our only enemy, oh and decapitation. Also fire is bad for us. It is bad for anyone but it can do the trick too if no stakes are present. If we can out think them, which shouldn't be hard considering they aren't geniuses, just hungry creatures of habit.

That is pretty much all there is to know. If we can get ahead of them in their game, we can defend ourselves out here." Talon said with a shrug.

"You talk like you are one of us. You are a vampire so what would you have to fear from them?" Naruto asked haughtily. His blue eyes flashed angrily at the guy for all the deception and making like he belonged with this group.

"I don't belong as a human, I know this. But, I don't belong with them either." Talon said defensively.

"Where are your kind then?" Gaara spoke up for the first time since Talon entered.

"They are scattered throughout these mountains. As soon as I saw the drop ship land, I came to see who had come to our neck of the woods. I was surprised to see humans considering that we haven't seen any in two-hundred years. I was intrigued so I blended in and just watched to see how you all took to the ground." Talon said pursing his lips.

Shikamaru looked at Talon for a long moment before he took a deep breath. He knew it was going to be hard but he needed the vampire if they were going to survive out here. It was like a thorn in his shoe needling away at him but what other choice did he have? It was a live or die situation.

"You'll remain here with us for a while. You know about vampires and we could use all the help we can get." Shikamaru said bleakly. Talon nodded in understanding.

"Wait a minute. If you're a blood sucker too, then where do you get your blood from?" Naruto asked raising a brow up to his hair line looking intimidating as a poodle.

"I feed off of animals or barbaric vampires. It doesn't always satisfy but it is what we have been left with. No humans and all." Talon shrugged. He turned and left the upper level.

"I'm sleeping with one eye open. If I wake up with him latched on to my neck, I am going to_"

"Scream like a girl?" Kiba asked with a snicker. Choji smiled and Gaara smirked in spite of himself.

"You asshole! I will kill the bastard!" Naruto and Kiba ranted and raved at each other as Shikamaru wondered just what the hell would happen next to make his life harder. A cough from Malice made him grimace and the upper level got quiet.

"Hang on Malice, please hang on." Shikamaru whispered as he left the upper deck of the drop ship.

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**A/N: Wow, this was a hard chapter to write at first. I was out of ideas for it until the whole vampire attack then I couldn't stop. **** So who knew about Talon? If you guessed that he was a vamp than kudos. I try not to be obvious but sometimes I just am. **

**THANK YOU READERS. I am so pleased that you like it and are keeping up with it so far! **

**Oh yeah and sorry for any typos. I will edit as soon as I can but feel free to point out any mistakes! **


	6. Chapter 6

Down to Earth Ch 6

Neji lay on his bed images of Shikamaru flashing through his mind non-stop. Every kiss, every word spoken between them; played on like a movie stuck on repeat. Tears began to build against his lashes as their last night together came to him. They had lain in bed for hours after making love.

"_Hey do you ever think about the future? I mean what will happen when it is our turn to lead these people?" Neji breathed against Shikamaru's ear running his fingers over the soft tan skin of his lovers back. _

"_Why would I worry about that? You will be the one leading them. I am nothing more than a low life kid who makes you squeal…often." Shikamaru rolled over and pulled Neji on top of him, kissing him lightly. _

_Neji frowned as he turned the words over in his head. He hated how Shikamaru cut himself down like that. He had never seen Shikamaru as someone lower than him. He had always seen Shikamaru as his equal. He saw them together in the future running the Arc's together. How could Shikamaru think that he thought so little of him?_

"_Hey penny for your thoughts, Hyuuga." Shikamaru breathed against Neji's lips._

"_I hate when you do that. You always cut yourself down when it isn't true. I think a lot of you Shikamaru. Why would you think I would ever feel that way? You are the most important person to me." Neji breathed back against the kiss._

"_I only meant that you were next in line for the council. I am a nobody compared to you. Besides, if you are running the council and I am with you, I can still be a part of it inadvertently. I'm sorry I upset you." Shikamaru ground their hips together and Neji let out a breathy moan. Damn the Nara and his Libido._

"_So you make me squeal, do you?" Neji asked playfully as he straddled Shikamaru's hips and sat up. Shikamaru smirked and nodded arrogantly. Neji snorted and then leaned down to capture Shikamaru's lips. The dark eyed Nara accepted the kiss without hesitation. _

_Shikamaru rolled them over and lay between Neji's legs. He ran his tongue over Neji's pale throat and listened to the catch in Neji's breathing. The pale eyed wonder would always be the most precious to him of all time. He could never see life without Neji and he was sure that Neji felt the same way. _

_Another round of sex ensued and the two forgot about anything and everyone as they dived into each other. The heat between them blistered and erupted like a volcano to simmer and cool an hour later as they lay in each others arms leaning towards sleep. They had it all right here in this moment. _

_Then the guards came._

Neji let out the tears and clutched his chest. It was too tight and it hurt so much to be separated like this. They had given each other everything and promised each other forever. Now it had all been taken away and all that was left was emptiness and pain. His voice caught on a sob and he pressed his fist to his mouth and screamed.

How could his uncle have condoned the drop? How could his uncle not see that it was killing him to be apart from Shikamaru? Hinata had sensed it and had offered her support, but his uncle just turned a blind eye. He wondered if his uncle ever really knew what it meant to be in love.

A soft knock interrupted his self torture and he quickly dried his eyes. His breathing was still thick but he could live with it. He opened the door to three dark haired figures. Sasuke and Sai Uchiha accompanied by Shino Aburame, the others who had lost their loves as surely as he had.

_What could they possibly want?_

"I know we aren't friends so I will make this quick. How much do you miss Shikamaru?" Sasuke turned to lay onyx eyes on him.

Neji looked at the Uchiha in suspicion and wondered what the guy was playing at.

"You're right. We aren't friends so why are you here and why do you care?" Neji crossed his arms in a defensive manner and Sasuke scoffed.

"Look we all lost someone. You aren't the only one who had a lover sent to the ground. We are putting together a plan." Sasuke said huffily.

"A plan for what?" Neji asked in confusion. They couldn't bring the boys back. It was impossible.

"To get on the ground." Sai said casually.

"What!? How in the hell do you think you are going to accomplish that?" Neji asked in shock.

They had to be out of their minds but then he was desperate himself.

"A drop ship." Sai added. Shino nodded and Neji eyed Sasuke to see if he would deny that statement.

He didn't.

"Oh my god. You're serious. You are planning on stealing a drop ship to get to the ground to be with them. How do you know if it will even work?" Neji asked trying to keep calm but his heart was going a hundred miles an hour between excitement and shock.

"Look we gather supplies and then sneak them onto a drop ship. We wait until the council goes to meet and then we make our move. We board the drop ship and launch while no one will be aware until it is too late. We can program the drop ship to land in the area of the other drop ship. All we have to do is find the coordinates of the first drop ship." Sasuke explained as if they weren't getting ready to commit a crime of treason.

Shino sat down in the desk chair and quietly studied Neji. It made Neji's skin crawl the way the boy watched him. He had never been friends with any one of these boys but if he was going to commit a crime with them all in the name of love then he figured he should at least give them a shot.

"Okay. I'm in. If this plan fails and we all go to jail because of it, I will kick your asses, Uchiha." Neji turned to the other two and gave them a stern look.

"Yeah, right. Okay so put together some clothes and food. I will break into my dad's office and find the coordinates for the drop ship. Also there is supposed to be a key to a bunker_"

"Yeah about that. I found the key and gave it to Shikamaru, along with a map and compass." Neji said and then shrugged when Sai's eyes widened.

"Well then that just leaves the coordinates. Meet up in my room tomorrow around noon. Everyone will be in the mess hall by then." Sasuke said as he turned towards the door. A ruckus picked up outside of the quarters and people began running in different directions.

The four boys headed to the main hall to see what was going on. Chancellor Uchiha was up on the screen addressing the Shuttle pilots. All pilots were being called to the hangers to evacuate Arc 17. No information was given as to why they were evacuating the Arc but the pilots were in a major rush.

Sasuke pulled on Neji's sleeve to get him to follow to the council room. The four boys barged in and were immediately scrutinized for their lack of manners. They apologized quickly and Neji followed his uncle back out to the main hall. Hiashi turned to look at Neji fully before placing a hand on his Nephew's shoulder.

"Uncle, what's happening on Arc 17? Why are they evacuating it?" Neji asked his face paler than normal.

"Neji, I think you are old enough to understand things now. Come into my ready room. There are some things that you need to know." Hiashi said as he led Neji down the hall to his quarters. Neji had a cold feeling settle in his gut. Something wasn't right.

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Neji's mind was reeling after his talk with his uncle. He had been walking around the Arc for the past hour just taking in the people around him. So many thoughts ran through his head at one time that he almost missed Hinata coming up to him. She reached out and touched his arm, making him jump.

"Oh, Hinata. I'm sorry I was in my own world. Is everything okay?" He asked, taking in her uncertain look.

"I'm sorry Neji. I didn't mean to startle you. I was just wondering how you were doing. I know how much it upset you when they arrested Shikamaru and now they've dropped him on the ground. It can't be easy_"

"Please, Hinata. I don't want to talk about it. I appreciate your concern but I can't talk about it right now. I'm sorry." Neji turned and walked away ignoring her protests. He couldn't allow himself to fall into the pain. If he did, he would never recover.

He walked back to his quarters, thankful that he had been able to keep living in his parents' quarters after their deaths. He liked the solitude and the space to just let go or be a little less perfect. He walked into his room and began to gather clothes and anything he deemed useable for the ground.

He couldn't allow himself to feel excited in case it didn't work out. If he got his hopes up only for the plan to fall apart, he just might follow in his father's footsteps. Pushing the grim thought away he finished his light packing. Food was easily packed that would make it to the ground without damage.

He stashed the bag in his closet and lay down onto his bed. Shikamaru's face drifted through his mind and he closed his eyes tightly. He needed those arms and those lips. He needed that lazy smile and the lame jokes. He needed that scent and the look in those dark eyes when they made love. He needed the boy and all of his perks and faults.

Somewhere in the middle of his thoughts, he fell into a deep sleep. He hadn't slept well in the passed three months since they had been separated. He was surprised to be able to sleep now. Maybe he was just too tired to stay awake anymore or maybe the dream he was having was a message from Shikamaru somehow telling him that they would be together again.

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Neji walked quietly down the corridor to the Uchiha quarters. No one had stopped him to question the bag on his shoulder and he didn't elaborate to anyone about it. He knocked on the Uchiha's door and was welcomed by Mikoto. Neji tensed up thinking it odd that she was here when everyone was at lunch in the mess hall.

She smiled at him and waved him in. He made his way to Sasuke's room when she mentioned that he was there. A moment later Mikoto left the quarters and headed to the mess hall. Sasuke sighed in relief as his mother left. Sai and Shino sat in the room waiting for Neji.

"My mother thinks we were getting together to study. She didn't question the bags because of that. Are you guys ready to go to the drop ship?" Sasuke asked just as his door opened.

All eyes turned toward the new presence in the room. Mouths dropped open and eyes grew wide as the intruder smirked at them.

"Drop ship, little brother? What are you guys' up to?" Itachi asked dark eyes smoldering, daring them to lie.

"We..I..Its…" Sasuke bit his lip as words failed him.

"You are going to the ground to be with those boys aren't you?" Itachi asked with a raised brow.

"Yes." Sai answered and a gasp escaped Neji's mouth.

"Good, I am going with you." Itachi said and leaned against the wall.

You could have heard a pin drop from the silence in the room. All four younger boys looked at the older who was now studying his fingernails. Sasuke opened and closed his mouth a couple of times and finally gave up. He deflated like a balloon and sat down on his bed ungracefully.

"Why do you want to go? Do you know someone down there?" Sasuke asked eyeing Itachi curiously.

"No, I am going because I don't want my little brothers' going to the ground without me. I can't protect you from up here." Itachi said nonchalantly.

Sai smiled and Sasuke smirked. Itachi had always been a bit protective. Now he was proving it. Shino sighed and looked at his watch. He was getting impatient. Sasuke picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. Sai followed suit and the other three boys followed him out of the room. Itachi went to his room to grab his own things and the five headed to the drop ship bay.

Walking into the bay they approached the first drop ship in the line. Itachi opened the door and they slipped inside. Taking a look around the drop ship they settled on a place to strap the bags down. Once finished with the task they walked around the drop ship taking in its contents.

Happy that they had what they would need to survive on the ground, they exited the drop ship. Heading back towards the main quarters and mess hall the five split up and went their separate ways. The next time the council would meet was tomorrow morning around ten o'clock AM. They would be free to move without anyone knowing.

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That night was the longest of Neji's life. He couldn't sleep for the life of him. He closed his eyes only for them to pop back open. He knew he shouldn't be giddy or excited but the prospect of seeing Shikamaru again was too great. He was so deeply in love with the Nara that he couldn't stand it.

When he couldn't lie in bed any longer he got up and began wandering around his quarters. His parents had been loving and nurturing to him so pictures of the three of them were scattered all about the shelves and tables. He picked up the last one of them off the table and held it close to him.

His mother had fallen ill and it had gotten bad really fast. She hadn't lived more than four to five months once the illness took hold. He had wept in the privacy of his room. He had been twelve. His father had hung on for two years after her death and then one day out of the blue he had taken his own life. Neji had been devastated but he hadn't shed a tear.

Hiashi had told him that he had to be strong because he was responsible for himself now. Funny how when he and Shikamaru had been caught he had been a child and was suffering from confusion brought on by boys like the Nara messing up good boys' ways of thinking.

_What a load of crap_

He slipped the picture from the frame and put it in his jacket hanging by the door to take with him. His parents' were no longer with him but he couldn't help but think that they would have supported him in his relationship with Shikamaru. Even though his uncle said otherwise. He sat down on the couch and stared off into space, literally. He loved watching the stars. It never got old.

He wondered if the stars looked the same from the ground. He wondered if Shikamaru was looking up at them at this moment. The thought of Shikamaru on the ground without him made him ache. He would give anything to be with him again. A soft knock came from the other side of his door and he frowned.

Getting up he walked cautiously to the door. Moving the flap from the eye hole he looked out to see the three Uchiha boys standing there. He sighed and ran his hand over his face tiredly. He opened the door and allowed them in. The three turned to look at him and it looked like the three were in no better shape than he was.

"The council meeting got moved up to now. We have to move if we are going to. We may not get another shot for a while. Are you ready?" Sasuke asked taking in the rumpled pajamas and the fatigued look in Neji's eyes.

"Yeah, let me get dressed. Where is Shino?" Neji asked looking from one to the other of the boys.

"He will meet us there. He is closer to the drop ship bay so he headed there directly." Sai elaborated. Neji nodded and went to his room to dress.

The four boys walked quickly and surely to the drop ship bay. Upon arrival they were met with about twenty people. Neji froze in his tracks and spun around to Sasuke. Sasuke rolled his eyes and glared at Sai. Neji had no idea what that was about but he was sure his heart was going to explode from fear.

"Sai, I thought you said a couple of people knew about this and were coming with us." Sasuke hissed.

Sai shrugged and led the others to the drop ship entrance. The door came open easily and the group entered the drop ship. Neji swallowed hard but followed thanking any deity out there that they hadn't been caught. At least not yet. Sitting down and strapping himself into the seat, he watched Itachi close the door.

Itachi walked to the panel and entered the coordinates from the first drop ship and powered up the thrusters. He released the anchors holding the drop ship and sat down to belt himself in. The moment each anchor was loose the seat belts locked into place and the drop ship shuddered.

Neji looked at one then the other of the Uchiha brothers and then to Shino. They were risking it all for love and they could only hope that it would be worth it. The drop ship released and they were falling. Cheers echoed through the drop ship from several of the others Sai had invited.

Neji couldn't help but smile. He was on his way down to Shikamaru and once he was with him again he was never letting him go. Nobody would separate them again. He closed his eyes and held on for the ride. He sent a silent prayer that Hinata would forgive him for this, he had to do what was right for him for once and that was going to the ground.

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**A/N: OMG! They have defied the council and their families for love. How sweet. Sai is a bit sneaky with his invite of a couple of people that turned out to be more like twenty. Lol And boy aren't the other boys going to be shocked when their goody two shoes lovers show up on the ground ey? So much drama ahead. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters mentioned in this fiction. Talon is an OC as is Malice.**

**Pairings: Shika/Neji, Naru/Sasu, Gaara/Sai, Kiba/Shino**

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Down to Earth Ch 7

Kiba and Naruto rushed into the drop ship, looks of fear and excitement danced across their faces. Shikamaru rubbed his hand over his face tiredly as he waited for the two to spit out what was on their minds. Naruto spoke first.

"There is something going on with the Arc's. It looks like something broke away from them. Maybe another drop ship." He said breathlessly.

Shikamaru's eyes widened as he considered what that would mean. If the Arc's were sending more people to the ground, it meant there would be more on the ground to die.

Shikamaru tore out of the drop ship and rushed to the middle of camp. Looking up into the darkened sky, his stomach clenched. It sure looked like something was falling from the Arc's. Straight down to the ground.

Choji placed a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder and squeezed. He could feel the tension running through Shikamaru and knew that the leader of the group was having a tough time staying calm. The ball of light broke through the atmosphere and headed for Earth.

"Shikamaru, we need to intercept them as soon as we can. They don't know that the vampires are still here or that there are wild animals out there." Kiba said with a shaky breath as he watched the ball of light get closer.

They watched as the ball of light dipped behind the horizon and then disappeared in the shroud of darkness known as forest. Shikamaru estimated the distance to be ten to fifteen miles from their camp. Kiba had a point. They had to warn them.

"Okay Kiba, you, Naruto and Gaara will go. I can't leave Malice or the group. Choji will stay with me to help me out here. Keep together and stay alert out there. Try to be stealthy and not draw attention to yourselves out there. Good luck." Shikamaru patted Kiba on the back and the three went to grab their packs.

Once the three were set to leave they slipped quietly out of camp. Shikamaru watched them go with a heavy heart and mind. He hoped that they would be okay and that they would somehow be able to survive. He watched Talon slip out the gate and follow after the three.

His first instinct was to call the deceptive ass back but the more he thought about it, the more he realized that they stood a better chance. He turned and walked back inside the drop ship and Choji followed.

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The drop ship landed hard on the ground with a bone jarring thud. It took several minutes for everyone to decide weather they were okay or not. Neji looked around at the others and took in everyone's demeanor.

Some were excited while others looked uncertain. It was a little late to change their minds. They had dropped to the ground and this was now their home. The seat belts let out a loud audible click and released.

Slowly they began standing up and moving around the drop ship. Some of the tension slipped away as they began to stretch limbs that had been clenched in fear. Sasuke was the one to walk to the drop ships door.

He stood facing it for a moment before he reached for the lever. Itachi grabbed his wrist to stop him from opening it right away. Sasuke gave him a weary look and dropped his arm to his side.

"Give everyone a moment to adjust before we open the door. None of us have ever been on the ground and it is a little overwhelming." Sasuke looked at the other passengers.

A girl was crying silently as her fear was eating away at her. What she was so afraid of, he didn't know but he wasn't going to stay here away from Naruto because she was scared. He glared at Itachi and turned to protest.

Itachi held his hand out and waited for Sasuke to take it. "Just for a moment, brother." Itachi said quietly. Sasuke nodded and took his brother's hand, he squeezed it once, let go and sat back down. He could afford a moment but no longer.

When everyone settled down, Sasuke stood once more and moved towards the door. He grabbed the lever and released the door. They were welcomed with pitch blackness and cool air. It was dark with no inkling of light to be seen.

The air was fresh and cool, that much they could tell. Itachi turned to look back into the drop ship. The emergency lights came on and lighted the inside of the drop ship but no further. Sasuke stepped out of the drop ship and felt the ground beneath his feet for the first time.

He shuffled his feet and toed the earth. A small smile brushed his lips as he closed his eyes and took in the smells around him. A hand fell onto his shoulder and he turned to see who was grabbing him. Although he couldn't see the person, he knew it was Itachi, always the protective older brother.

"It's pretty dark out here. I think we need to wait till its light to explore our surroundings and try to locate the other drop ship." A snort was heard in the darkness.

"Of course you do. You don't have a lover on the ground so what is it to you if you stay here?" Sasuke hissed and shoved the hand off of his shoulder.

Itachi sighed and rolled his eyes. Sasuke was an act now think later kind of person and it was that recklessness that made the older brother worry so damn much. He turned to stop Sasuke from storming passed him. The arm he grabbed tensed and Itachi knew there was a fist forming at the end of that arm.

"Otouto, you need to be practical. It is so dark that you can't see an inch in front of your face. How do we know we haven't landed on the edge of a cliff? Will Naruto forgive you if you were reckless in your journey back to him? I think he would rather see you alive and well rather than a twisted up corpse." Itachi waited with bated breath.

The others had stepped into the doorway of the drop ship but so far no one had stepped out of it. Everyone seemed apprehensive to step into the unknown depths of darkness. Itachi didn't blame any of them. He had a degree of fear running through him as well. Sasuke took a moment to comprehend.

"Fine, all of those in favor of waiting until morning to leave the drop ship, say I." He didn't need to wait long as a loud chorus of I's rang out.

Sasuke cursed the group and their cowardice as he went back to the drop ship door. Itachi turned and followed him back inside. They pulled the door closed and settled back into their seats. Itachi left Sasuke to brood on his own while he went and grabbed a blanket for everyone.

"Sasuke, I think it is a wise decision for us to wait. I miss Gaara too. I want to see him again as badly as you want to see Naruto. I don't want to die doing it though." Sai placed his hand on Sasuke's arm and gave his twin a soft smile. Sasuke let out a strangled breath and nodded. Naruto was worth waiting until the morning for.

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Naruto and Kiba bumped into each other again and Kiba cursed as Naruto stepped on his foot yet again. Walking in the dark was just a pain in the ass. They had stopped twice already to get their bearings. Gaara seemed to be doing slightly better than the other two but every now and again he would trip or run into a branch.

Finally the foliage seemed to open out into a clearing and the moon was shining at half massed. It was better than nothing as they moved slowly along the invisible ground. Stopping by the water Naruto leaned down to run water over his face and hair. Even though it was cool out, he still managed to break a sweat.

A sound of snapping twigs behind them had them all spinning on a dime and holding their weapons out in front of them. Straining to see what was coming at them, Gaara let out a low growl from his throat.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" Gaara hissed and stepped closer to the sound of footsteps.

Talon stepped out into the clearing and Naruto almost pissed himself in fear and relief. Kiba dropped into a crouch and held his head in his hands. His adrenaline was screaming through him in a rush and his body was like a live wire about to snap.

"SON OF A BITCH! What the hell are you doing sneaking around like that? You about gave me a damn heart attack." Kiba growled and crawled on his hands and knees to the water. He needed to cool off or combust.

"I'm sorry to scare you. I thought you may need my eyes out here. It's pretty dark. I noticed you guys were having trouble and if you'll let me, I can lead you to the other drop ship, safely." Naruto snorted.

"Like you led Malice? Or is that your plan? Get us to trust you and lead us to our death so you can feed on us? Thanks but no thanks." Naruto sneered and Talon had no problem seeing it in the dark.

"Listen, I know what you all think and I never meant for Malice to get hurt. It was a mishap on my part but I can assure you that you are all safe with me. I can help you or you guys can go about it on your own. Just so you know though, you guys are off course about two miles now." Talon said and crossed his arms while he waited for them to talk amongst themselves.

He smirked when he heard Kiba curse and then smiled as Naruto insulted him yet again. Gaara seemed to be the only one who was keeping his head. After a moment the three turned towards him. With a deep sigh, Gaara spoke.

"Lead us to the other drop ship. If you try anything at all, we will kill you one way or another." Gaara threatened and Talon held up his hands in a show of surrender.

They began walking behind Talon as he corrected their course. It wasn't long before they were back on track and Talon was showing them the easiest routes to take. The trip was a bit longer than anticipated but it went smoothly with Talon leading them.

About three hours later they arrived in an area where the trees were denser. The foliage covered the ground in a thicker blanket of shrubs and bushes than that of the camp. Talon moved slower through here to allow the other three boys to keep up without too much hindrance.

Talon could make out something shiny in the light of the moon and he turned to the boys behind him. He waited until the three were right next to him before speaking. He took in the tired looks of the three boys and smiled knowing they would be grateful to be at their targeted location.

"Just through these trees is the other drop ship. I can see the parachute and the top of it through the canopies." Talon informed them. Kiba groaned in relief. Naruto took a deep breath and Gaara seemed to relax a bit.

Walking up to the drop ship door, Gaara tapped on the metal and waited. A small tap came back from the other side and Gaara returned the tap. A moment later the drop ship door opened and Gaara, Naruto, And Kiba entered the empty doorway.

Gaara was about to speak when something caught his eye. A moment later someone was grabbed and the object that was about to knock Gaara on the head was removed from the attackers hands.

Talon turned to Gaara and smiled at him as he dropped the fire extinguisher on the floor. His other hand held a startled Itachi at bay. A gasp caught the red head's attention a moment late rand his arms were filled with pale skin and raven locks.

Taking a moment to look at the boy wrapped around him, his own eyes widened. Sai was smiling up at him with tears in his eyes and Gaara's heart skipped several beats before catching and picking up a rhythm again.

Naruto was pressed against the wall and soft pink lips were pressed to his own. The taste was familiar and so was the smell. Focusing on the culprit, Naruto about had a coronary. Sasuke was here. Sasuke was kissing him. Naruto threw his arms around the raven and held him to him.

Kiba was next to get a shock. Shino moved towards him like a predator and Kiba could only hold out his arms in his shock. Shino stepped into them and gripped the brunette locks that he had missed. Kiba smelled of the outdoors and his scent was intoxicating.

"Oh my gods, what are you guys doing here?" Naruto asked as he pulled Sasuke to his side to get a better look at the other occupants of the drop ship.

"Shouldn't it be obvious what we are doing here?" Sasuke asked placing his head on Naruto's shoulder. He loved the smell of the blonde and now it was mixed with a woodsy scent that made his blood sing.

"We came to be with you. We couldn't let them keep us apart like that anymore. We had to come." Sai said as a tear trekked down his cheek. Gaara wiped it with his thumb and kissed Sai's cheek. Sai snuggled into Gaara as much as he could and Gaara held him closer.

"Okay, well as much as it sucks that you guys came down here without any clue as to what is on this planet, I can't say that I am not happy to have you here in my arms." Naruto said the last part to Sasuke and got a pout out of his raven.

"What do you mean as much as it sucks!?" Someone yelled from the back of the drop ship.

Gaara rubbed a hand across his face tiredly resembling that of Shikamaru's look just before he was told of the second drop ship. Naruto groaned as Sasuke kissed his neck and nuzzled his nose into the tanned skin of his lover.

"Okay, listen up. The vampires aren't gone like we thought. There are wild animals inhabiting the earth as well and so far we have lost twenty seven people.

Holding up his hand to quiet the crowds cries of distress, Gaara shook his head and looked the group over. People were always the same. They loved to react to the bad news before finding out if there was any good news to follow.

"We have made a camp where we can keep out the wild animals. We are working on the vampire situation at present but we have been hit by a storm and some other mishaps in the weeks we have been here. We will wait until morning to head to camp. It will be safer that way." Gaara said and then allowed Sai to lead him to an empty seat to which Sai crawled into the red heads lap as soon as Gaara was seated.

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The sun was bright and the world outside was a beautiful green color. Sasuke and Sai were standing with their lovers outside of the drop ship in the sunshine. Sasuke let the sun run over his skin and then smiled at Naruto as the blond watched him. Sai stepped into Gaara's arms when the red head held them open and kissed the raven's cheek.

His heart was close to bursting with happiness and worry for his lovers arrival. Kiba stumbled tiredly down the ramp of the drop ship grumbling something about sun and sleep. No one could really make it out but Shino just smiled as he held Kiba's hand and walked behind the brunette.

It wasn't long before all of the group were standing outside of the drop ship. Gaara allowed everyone a few moments to have their fill of touching the trees and the dirt. Finally they began their journey back to the main drop ship.

"Shikamaru is going to flip out when he sees Neji here." Naruto mumbled against Sasuke's lips. Sasuke smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, Neji has been just as anxious as us to get to you guys. I'm glad it was you who came to get us. I wanted to see you as soon as we dropped to the ground but Itachi said we should wait till morning. I hated waiting." Sasuke pouted and Naruto grinned.

"You didn't have to wait too long though. I came as soon as I saw the ship drop. I never thought it would be you but I am glad it was. I'm also not. Its dangerous down here, Sasuke." Naruto said all playfulness gone.

Sasuke turned to his blond lover. He looked deep into the azure blue eyes and took Naruto's face in his hands. He kissed the blond slowly and passionately. Naruto closed his eyes and savored the kiss.

"Naruto, no matter what happens down here as long as you and I are together, I can handle it. I couldn't handle it being away from you like that. I need you. I love you. You are my heart and my soul. I can't live without you, and I won't." Sasuke said breathlessly against Naruto's lips.

Naruto pulled the raven into his arms and held him as close as possible. They were going to be alright. Somehow, someway. The two turned and caught up to the group who had all kept walking when the other two had stopped. With their arms around each other the two caught up to Gaara and Sai.

Neji walked with Talon and Itachi wondering how Shikamaru was. He was disappointed that Shikamaru hadn't been among the others but he couldn't help but think there was a good reason for it. There had to be or Shikamaru would have been right there with his friends.

"Is Shikamaru okay?" Neji asked the brunette walking beside him.

Talon turned his head to look at the long haired pale eyed boy. It was a good thing that he could smell the difference between female and male. He would have been terribly wrong to think the boy was a girl. He smiled at the brunette.

"Shikamaru is fine. He is the groups' leader and felt he needed to stay at the camp to take care of things there. Are you and he friends?" Talon asked catching the scent of testosterone as it heightened.

"No, he's my lover. My boyfriend. I'm glad he's okay." Neji said more to himself than to Talon.

"I'm Neji by the way." Neji said holding out his hand.

"Talon, nice to meet you, Neji." He took the offered hand and shook it firmly. Neji gave a nod and went back to his own thoughts. How would Shikamaru react when he saw him? He hoped that Shikamaru would be happy to see him or it would be the most awkward moment of his life.

Aside from being caught having sex with a boy that is.

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**A/N: Whew! So some fluff for all of you love me tenders out there. Sasuke and Naruto, Gaara and Sai, Kiba and Shino, all reunited. Neji will get his turn soon but will Shikamaru be pleased or not? Find out in the next chapter. **

**Hope you all like this one and sorry it is a bit late. **

**Really wish I knew how to do line breaks on FanFiction stories. :p **


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters mentioned in this fiction. Talon is an OC as is Malice.**

**Pairings: Shika/Neji, Naru/Sasu, Gaara/Sai, Kiba/Shino**

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**Down to Earth Ch 8**

**Coming upon a wall built from carefully cleaned branches was a relief to the group from the second drop ship. It meant that they were finally there and Neji could see Shikamaru. His hands shook as they neared the gate. **

**Talon walked up to the gate and called out to the watchmen inside the gate. The gate was opened to allow access and Neji's eyes widened at the way the camp was set up and fully functional. Only his boyfriend could have arranged all of this. **

**Naruto dashed passed the new arrivals and headed for the drop ship door. Once inside he climbed the ladder to the upper level and hollered at Shikamaru to come out. With a sigh the brunette got up and followed the rambunctious blond. **

**He stepped out of the drop ship into the morning sun and his heart stopped. There in the group was the long haired brunette beauty that he had left on the Arc. How he was here wasn't the issue. Why he was here wasn't the issue. He was here and Shikamaru couldn't care less what the reasons were at the moment. **

**He rushed passed the group to his lover and pulled the pale eyed angel into a heated kiss. Neji's hands grabbed onto Shikamaru's arms looking for purchase as his lips were taken into the all too familiar dance of teeth and tongues. Neji gasped and broke the kiss. **

"**Shikamaru, I missed you so much. I couldn't stand it. I was going crazy without you." Neji said wide eyed and breathless. **

"**I know, I was doing the same down here. I can't believe that they sent you down here." Shikamaru pulled the older boy into his arms and held him close. Neji's arms circled his waist and in that moment, life was perfect. **

"**They didn't." Neji whispered. Shikamaru frowned and was about to ask his lover to repeat what he had said when ift registered in his brain. **

**Pushing Neji back from him to look into the pale face, his eyes were wide and his mouth was open. Neji's expression was mirrored back at him only the two wore them for different reasons. **

"**What do you mean they didn't, Neji?" Shikamaru breathed.**

"**We came on our own. We couldn't stay up there while you guys were down here. It wasn't right for them to keep us apart. You have to understand what it was like for us. Besides, you couldn't come back to us, so we came to you." Neji whispered. **

**Shikamaru sighed and pulled his lover back into his arms and held him for a long time. His heart was tripping over itself at the prospect that Neji was here. Neji was in his arms and he could touch him. He could kiss him. He smiled in spite of the fact that it wasn't safe here on the ground. **

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**Talon stood over Malice. Her breathing was shallow and he could barely detect a heartbeat. She was dying and it wouldn't be long before her heart stopped altogether. He picked up her hand and held it to his chest as he wiped the loose strands of hair away from her face. **

**Something had been bothering him for some time now and he hadn't wanted to think too much on it until now when it was crucial. Pulling a crudely made knife from his belt he held Malice's hand out and dragged the blade across her palm. Blood began seeping from the cut and he licked his lips. **

**Shaking his head to clear his mind of the urge to taste it he dragged the blade across his own hand and watched the blood seep to the surface. Laying the knife down on the floor next to him, he ran his fingers through the blood and ran it across Malice's cut. **

**Leaving the upper level of the drop ship he walked outside and caught Shikamaru. The brunette glared at him and he sighed. The guy hated him and it was justifiable but damned if the guy couldn't cut him just a little bit of slack. No one was perfect, even vampires.**

"**Can I speak to you for a moment? It's about Malice." Talon asked keeping his expression blank of all emotion. **

"**What about Malice?" Neji asked looking concerned by the deep scowl on his boyfriend's face.**

"**A lot of people have died down here and some injured. Malice; was injured under his watch." Shikamaru said darkly. Neji's eyes widened at the tone. Malice must be in pretty bad shape to make Shikamaru this angry. **

"**How injured is injured?" Neji asked. **

"**She's dying." Talon said matter of fact. Shikamaru growled low in his throat at the words. **

"**Look, you know it to be true and I am asking you to come with me and discuss options." Talon waved towards the drop ship. Shikamaru wanted nothing more than to kill the bastard where he stood. **

**Neji frowned and hugged Shikamaru to him. He was sad for his boyfriend but he knew someone needed to be level headed right now. Taking Shikamaru's hand, Neji dragged his lover towards the drop ship following Talon with an uneasy gait. They entered the drop ship and Shikamaru pulled on Neji's hand. **

"**It's okay Shikamaru. I am here. I will be right beside you. Let's hear him out." Neji turned and continued his way to the ladder. **

**Upon entering the drop ship, Talon picked up his discarded knife making Shikamaru take a battle stance towards him. Talon shook his head and looked to Neji for help. The long haired brunette glared at Talon daring him to piss of his boyfriend further. **

"**Look, I want to show you something. I need you to keep calm and not attack me before you see what I am about to show you." Talon waited for any argument. When there was none he picked up Malice's hand. **

**Again he made a small cut in her palm. Shikamaru was now beyond pissed and making his way over to kill Talon. Neji held him back but he was conflicted. Why would the guy cut Malice when she was already dying? What the hell was going on here?**

**Talon made a quick cut across his own hand and rubbed the blood over Malice's cut. After a few moments the cut began to heal and after about a minute, it was gone altogether. Shikamaru stood in silent shock. Neji released Shikamaru's hand and walked over to Malice. He picked up her hand and looked at the perfectly healed palm.**

"**What is going on? How did you do that?" Neji asked Talon in confusion.**

"**It was something that I was theorizing on. I came up here right after we returned and tried it out. I wasn't sure if it would work but I knew that it was worth a shot. It did." Talon said with a shrug.**

"**Wait, you came up here and cut my sister's hand once already? How do you know it wouldn't have caused her further problems had your little experiment not worked? You son of a bitch! Stay away from my sister!" Shikamaru was once again on the verge of kicking Talon's ass. **

**Neji once again grabbed Shikamaru and held him back. He glared once more at the constant irritator of his boyfriend. He really didn't like this guy but still the guy was special somehow. They needed to hear what this was all for, right?**

"**Okay so what is this all about? What are you trying to tell us with this little trick of yours?" Neji asked trying to stay calm. **

"**I was thinking that on a larger scale, my blood may be able to save her life. If we were to mix my blood with hers somehow, it may do the trick." Talon crossed his arms and waited for the inevitable explosion from Shikamaru.**

"**So you're not talking about injuring her further but saving her with your blood. What do you suggest? How would we mix your blood with hers?" Neji asked looking to Shikamaru to see if he was making his boyfriend mad or if Shikamaru was listening at all.**

"**We would have to get my blood directly into one of her veins. Like intravenously. If we had a needle and some tubing, it would be a breeze." Talon said. **

"**What if you turn her into what you are during this blood mixture?" Shikamaru asked with a hiss. Talon shook his head.**

"**Our venom is in our bite not our blood." Talon pursed his lips and waited for someone to say that it was okay to try.**

"**Neji go get Sakura. Ask her to bring the med kit." Shikamaru squeezed Neji's hand when his lover turned worried eyes to him. Shikamaru nodded to his boyfriend that it would be okay.**

**Neji left to get the med kit and Shikamaru sighed tiredly. He walked to Malice and took her hand. She was so pale and her breathing was so shallow it was almost non-existent. He squeezed her hand and the tears prickled at the back of his eyes when she didn't respond.**

"**You know, I may be the brains of this operation but she is the strength. She's **_**my**_** strength. I have only ever been able to get through anything as long as she was by my side. When I came out to my parents, when she found out I was sleeping with Neji, when our parents were called away to other Arc's for months at a time…**

**You know her name is only a knick name? Malice is something that my father and I call her. Her name is actually MaryAnn. My mother was in love with American names. We call her Malice because she has a temper that beats any I have ever seen. When she is pissed, she is beyond tamable…." **

**Shikamaru trailed off once more as he looked at the face that has always been there. If she wasn't there, what would he do? He had Neji, that much is true but Neji was his lover for which he was to protect and love. Malice was his first commander in life. She would be the first to kick his ass when he needed it and the first to hold him up when he was too weak to stand. **

"**Your parents, are they mechanics for the Arc's?" Talon asked.**

"**No they are engineers. The Arc's have been having problems. They send out all personnel to the other Arc's when something happens to them. My parents are gone so much that we have come to rely on each other. Sometimes it is like we don't have any parents." Shikamaru said and squeezed Malice's hand once more. **

**Neji returned with the pink haired girl behind him. They entered the upper level and Sakura immediately turned to Shikamaru to ask what was needed of her. Shikamaru explained how they needed an intravenous tube and needle if she had them. She pulled out the tubing and needle and attached the two together. **

**Talon took the end of the tube and made a small incision in his arm. Pushing the tube into the incision, blood began to flow through the tube and when it reached the needle and began to drip, Sakura inserted the needle into Malice's vein. She turned and left when Shikamaru thanked her. **

**Talon let his arm hand down so the blood would continue to flow and Neji pulled Shikamaru to a seat and held his boyfriend against him while they waited. Shikamaru had never been religious but he would pray now to anyone out there listening for this to work. **

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**Night came as it always did and the group finished up securing the camp before going inside of the drop ship for safety. Sasuke and Sai helped Naruto and Gaara gather the stragglers making sure every one was inside before the doors were closed. **

**Just as Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hand to lead them inside something entered the atmosphere lighting up the sky for a few moments. Naruto raced inside and climbed the ladder in a quick two steps. **

"**Shikamaru, something just entered the atmosphere." Naruto said out of breath. Shikamaru and Neji hurriedly raced for the hatch and raced outside. Catching a glimpse of the object leaving the atmosphere, it went black once again. Shikamaru strained his eyes trying to see anything at all of the object. **

**Within moments an explosion erupted in the forest. Flames shot up high over the canopies of the trees and another explosion ripped through the night. Neji stumbled into Shikamaru in shock and Shikamaru held him tight. Whatever it was, had crashed. **

**Shikamaru's stomach turned with apprehension. What the hell had fallen and what caused it to explode? He prayed it wasn't another drop ship. Running his cold fingers over Neji's arms he led them back inside the drop ship. Everyone stood waiting for their leader to tell them something, anything.**

"**Whatever that was, we will have to wait until daylight to check out. For now everybody try to get some sleep." Shikamaru led Neji back up to the upper level of the drop ship. The two took up their seats once more and it was no surprise to hi that the other guys didn't come up to the upper level. **

**If Shikamaru knew Naruto like he thought he did, than the others were waiting by the door for first light to go see what had crashed in the forest. He settled against Neji and pulled the blanket over them. Neji laid his head on Shikamaru's chest and the two closed their eyes. **

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**Shikamaru hadn't slept. He knew he wouldn't with all that was going on. Talon was gone and the needle had been removed from Malice's arm. Neji slept peacefully and Shikamaru didn't want to disturb him so he slipped silently out of the drop ship and out into the sun. **

**Naruto, Sasuke, Gaara, Sai, Kiba and Shino stood waiting for him by the gate. They all had packs and weapons ready. All they needed was Shikamaru's go ahead. He walked up to the group and stopped next to Naruto. **

"**You guys be careful out there. Watch your backs and each others. Whatever you find, be cautious. It could very well have been another drop ship carrying guards." Shikamaru said looking over his friends. **

"**We will Shikamaru. Take care of Neji and we will be back before you know it." Naruto said as he opened the gate. Shikamaru waited for the last one to exit and closed the gate back up. He turned and headed for Talon who stood by the drop ship.**

"**So do you think it worked or not?" Shikamaru asked. **

"**I can't say for sure but I transferred my blood to her for about four hours last night. I can only hope that it is doing something." Talon waved his hands in an 'I don't really know' gesture. **

"**Okay, well do me a favor and keep an eye on her? I have some things to take care of." Shikamaru walked away and Talon couldn't help but think that the boy was bi-polar. **

"**He is only trusting you because he wants you to help Malice. If you are the one to blame in the first place then it will take a lot more than this for him to forgive you. If Malice dies, he may never forgive you." Neji said as he walked away heading over to stand by Shikamaru. **

**Talon sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Why had he pretended to be one of them again? It wasn't because he wanted attention that was for sure. No, he had wanted some kind of civilized contact. That had worked out splendid. **

**He turned and walked inside of the drop ship. He needed to eat soon and wondered if he could put it off for a while longer or not. He sat down next to Malice and took her hand. Her fingers for the first time in days were warm. Maybe he had gotten lucky and she would make it after all. **

**He sat back and let his eyes close for a few minutes. The hunger began to gnaw at his insides and opened his eyes. Catching his reflection in the wall of the drop ship, his eyes were blood red and his fangs were elongated. He needed to leave now. **

**He slipped out of the drop ship and held his breath so he couldn't smell the blood pumping through the veins of all these people. He slipped out of the gate and pulled it closed as much as he could. He wasn't aware of the girl that had followed him until she was upon him. **

**Closing his eyes and trying to keep from doing the very thing he swore he didn't do, he reached out and pushed the girl away only for her to come right back to him. Shaking his head he opened his eyes and took a deep breath. **

**That was all it took to turn him into the very thing he never wanted to be. He reached out and ripped the girl to him. Tearing into her throat he let the blood run all over his tongue. It was the best thing he had tasted. He drank until she was dry and then he carried her body to a deep ravine and tossed her into it. **

**He was ashamed. He was satisfied. He was devastated. He was happy. He, was a monster.**

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**A/N: Wow, this chapter took on a life of its own. I wasn't even aware that Talon was going to do that. I even surprised myself. **

**Okay so I know this chapter is all in bold. I wasn't aware until half way through. I don't know how to change it from bold to regular without having to re-write it so it will stay in bold. **

**Hope you liked the new chapter. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters mentioned in this fiction. Talon is an OC as is Malice.**

**Pairings: Shika/Neji, Naru/Sasu, Gaara/Sai, Kiba/Shino**

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Down to Earth Ch 9

Naruto led the group through the trees and looked back over his shoulder often to make sure no one got separated. Sasuke followed close on his heals and Gaara followed a foot behind sasuke with Sai as close as humanly possible.

Kiba had taken the rear and placed Shino between himself and Sai to keep an eye on his lover. So far they hadn't come across anything in their path that would threaten them and Naruto hoped that that status wouldn't change.

They had gone about seven miles and it seemed they were no closer to the smoke wafting out of the trees. Two miles more and they all stopped to rest and have a drink of water before continuing on.

Three miles in, the smoke became apparent by scent as well. They were close to the crash sight. Naruto held up a hand as they approached the wreckage. Black charred hunks of metal protruded from the ground and littered the trees.

Fires burned everywhere still, even though the crash had happened hours before. The group spread out amongst the wreckage looking for anything that would indicate just what the hell this monstrosity had been.

Sasuke used a stick to move bits of the wreckage around and jumped when something fell from the burning rubble. His breath caught at the charred body lying at his feet. He stared as if in a trance as his mind tried to process this fact.

"Naruto." Sasuke's voice was no more than a whisper.

"Naruto." He tried again only to have it come out in a strangled sound.

"NARUTO!" The blond jumped and spun rushing for his lover thinking he was hurt.

"Sasuke, are you alright? What's the matter?" Naruto took his rattled lover into his arms and held him.

Sasuke pointed to the ground where the body lay smoldering. Naruto looked where his lover pointed and his gut clenched. He had wondered if they would see something like this. It was confirmed that they had come from the Arc's.

"Naruto." Gaara called out getting the blonds attention. Naruto turned and led his boyfriend away from the body. Gaara stood looking down into the wreckage and pointed out something that made all six of the boys close their eyes in sorrow.

"Arc 17." Kiba mumbled. Shino turned and placed his face in the taller boy's neck. Kiba wrapped his arms automatically around his lover and kissed his hair.

"Jesus Christ. What the hell is going on up there?" Naruto whispered. Sasuke hugged Naruto's waist tightly.

"The Arc's are dying. I heard the call for them to evacuate Arc 17. They sent out shuttles to remove the occupants. Why would there still have been a person on the Arc?" Sasuke shuttered and Naruto held him tighter if it were possible.

They looked around and began searching for anyone who may have survived. Unfortunately for them, they hadn't even come upon the area for the occupants. What they saw made their blood run cold.

Bodies lay burning everywhere and the smell of burning flesh and metal permeated the air so strongly that Kiba leaned forward and heaved. Wiping his mouth he turned his eyes away from the carnage.

Naruto couldn't stop looking. The bodies were endless. Thousands of bodies were piled on top of the other and more seemed to be falling out of the wreckage into their open grave. A tug to Gaara's arm made him look at his own lover.

Sai's eyes were filled with tears and his cheeks were wet as they dripped endlessly down his face. Gaara grabbed the raven and pulled him to his chest. Holding his lover close he whispered words of comfort into his ear. Sai seemed to calm a bit but his body still quivered every now and again.

Finally assured that there were no survivors, the group of six headed back to camp. Naruto was determined to bring back a group of people to help put these people to proper rest. No matter how long it took they would bury these people.

No one spoke on the way back to camp. Everybody was lost in their own thoughts. How did these people come to be on the Arc when it crashed? Why did the Arc crash? Why didn't these people get evacuated? How could anyone leave them to die?

The biggest question running through their minds was, how many more Arc's would fall?

They reached the camp by late afternoon and upon entering the compound, Shikamaru could see that this journey of theirs had taken a toll. Something was terribly wrong. He walked to the sullen boys and stopped quietly in front of them.

"Arc 17. It crashed. There were….people on it. No survivors." Naruto said in a tight voice. He turned and walked further into the camp and sat down against the wall. His shoulders shook with emotion as the dam burst.

Sasuke rushed to his side and held his head against his chest. His own tears were starting to slip and the emotion drowned the two of them for a few hours, until they were both so drained they could no longer see straight.

Shikamaru hugged himself as he took in the sight of the boys. Sai was crying silently and Kiba looked so forlorn that it hurt to look at him. Shino, wearing glasses all the time was hard to read but his posture gave way to his sorrow.

Gaara was always the strong one. He stood with a blank expression while he held his lover. Shikamaru wondered if the red head ever cried in is life. Neji came to stand next to Shikamaru and lay his head on the brunette's shoulder.

Shikamaru pulled Neji towards the drop ship while Gaara and Kiba grabbed sasuke and Naruto to get them inside. When the group was inside, upstairs in the upper level of the drop ship, Shikamaru let out his own sorrow.

"What I don't understand is how did those people get left on the Arc?" Naruto breathed out softly.

"My uncle told me that Arc 17 was dying and that they would have to evacuate. I didn't understand everything at the time but I do now." Neji said looking at the group sullenly.

"What do you mean?" Shikamaru asked his lover as he gave Neji's hand a squeeze.

"As you know the Arc's are all connected. If one dies it damages the entire group of Arcs. My uncle said that Arc 17 was on its last legs and that they would be sending shuttles to evacuate. He said he hoped they would have enough time. Obviously they didn't have enough time to evacuate everyone.

Therefore they left the ones they couldn't get to. What you must understand is that he meant he hoped that they would have enough air to get them all. They ran out of air before they could get them. That means that the people you saw on the ground were already dead before they crashed.

They cut the Arc loose from the rest of the stations knowing that they could no longer save the people on 17 but knew that they had to cut 17 loose in order to save the other Arcs from damage." Neji explained trying to help them better understand that the people didn't die in a fiery death.

"So letting them suffocate is better?" Naruto hissed.

"They didn't let them. It was happening faster than they could react. Some people from 17 were saved. How many? I can't say." Neji said helplessly.

Shikamaru hugged Neji to him and glared half heartedly at Naruto. The blond was acting as though Neji gave the order himself to leave the people on the Arc. Naruto sighed in frustration. He knew it wasn't Neji's fault but he wanted to blame someone.

"I hate to change the subject but has anyone noticed that Malice is gone?" Sai asked.

Shikamaru jumped up and spun around. Yes the cot was empty. Malice was gone. He repeated the words in his head and not making any sense of them, he began to laugh hysterically. Neji frowned as he watched his boyfriend lose his mind.

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Malice opened her eyes. Why in the hell was it so cold? Wasn't it supposed to be sunshiny and warm? Looking around it took a minute to realize she was lying in a ditch. Sitting up slowly she took in the leaves and the trees further up the bank.

Reaching up she touched the side of her neck and wiped away the crusted and dried blood. Why there was blood on her neck and why she felt as though the world was spinning was beyond her.

Standing up slowly she wobbled and caught her balance. She began climbing back up the embankment to the top and almost tripped over someone. Looking down on the body lying on the ground she nudged it with her foot.

Eyes full of torture opened to look at her. Blinking several times they finally focused. Malice squatted down to move the hair out of the others face. Her breath hitched as a familiar face came into view.

"Talon? What are you doing out here?" She asked as he pushed himself up to his hands and knees.

"Malice? How, why?" He stopped his rambling as he took in the blood on her neck and all of a sudden reality punched him hard in the gut.

"Oh god, Malice. It was you. I fed from you. But you are supposed to be dead. I drained you. How are you still here?" Talon's voice cracked as Malice pulled him to his feet.

"You fed from me?" A nod.

"What the hell are you saying? Are you trying to tell me that you are a vampire?" She asked in shock.

Talon looked up at her and without answering she knew it to be true by the look in his eyes. The question now was, was she scared? The answer was no. If she had met him now and he had said he was a vampire, she would have been worried and possibly terrified.

Knowing Talon like she did, the fear just wouldn't come.

"You say you drained me?" Another nod.

"So…..why aren't _**I**_ dead?" Talon shook his head and turned his back.

"I don't know. I don't know. I…..don't….know." He whispered as bowed his head.

"Okay well this is all sorts of creepy and weird so what do you say we head back to camp?" Malice asked as she began walking towards Talon. He threw his hands out to stop her approach.

"I don't understand why you aren't dead. But I do know that I bit you. My venom is in my bite. If you are here then you must be….." He trailed off as he looked unseeingly at her.

"A vampire? Hm, how do we test that theory?" She asked and his eyes widened.

"No, you can't. Feeding on humans is wrong. It is sinful. People don't deserve that. No. You can't." Talon whispered brokenly.

Malice frowned. Whatever had happened to Talon, it wasn't pretty and she was sure that he had undergone some sort of mental torture. She couldn't help but wonder about all that she had missed while she was down.

"Okay, any way you might have been wrong? Maybe you didn't drain me. Maybe you thought you did but really it was just an illusion?" Malice asked trying to sooth the mentally injured Talon.

He shook his head slowly as if he wasn't sure he believed himself anymore. Malice took his arm and pulled him back towards camp. Something was off with him and she was bound and determined to figure it out.

They arrived back at camp at sunset. Malice couldn't help but think that Shikamaru must be worried by now. How long she had been gone she couldn't say. How long either of them had been gone was also a mystery.

Shikamaru met them at the gate and the first thing he did was punch Talon in the mouth, sending the already messed up mental case to the ground. Before Malice could react and help the fallen boy up, Shikamaru was yanking her into his arms.

Hugging back she patted his back as his shoulders began to shake with suppressed sobs. She wasn't sure what to think about the situation but it was clear that she had missed something major. Memories came flooding back to her slowly at first and then faster.

She was lying on a cot dying from internal injury and she was sure her back had been broken. Now here she stood in front of them like she had never been injured or near death. No wonder he was so happy to see her.

Pulling away from her Shikamaru looked into her eyes. She looked normal and alive. She looked just how he remembered her. She was his little sister and she was back. She was by his side and she would live. He couldn't speak with the way his emotions were strangling him.

Talon stood and stepped away from Malice. Shikamaru had finally taken his shot and now he was all sorts of emotional. Shikamaru pulled Malice with him to the drop ship. Climbing into the upper level of the drop ship, they were met by all of their friends and some newcomers.

"Neji? Sasuke, Sai, Shino, What is going on here? How did they get here?" Malice asked as Neji stood and hugged her.

"It's a long story, sit and we will fill you in on all the details." Naruto said with a small smile.

Malice sat and listened to blow by blow accounts of the events. Finally up to speed on all the details and the issues at hand, she slipped into survival mode. Not knowing what lie ahead for them and knowing that things were falling apart in the Arcs, they would get no rest for a while.

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"Arc 17 crashed about ten to twelve miles of our kids." Hiashi said grimly.

"Well they will have to learn sooner or later that things aren't as happy as they seem from down there." Fugaku said.

Hiashi snorted. "Your boys are no more warriors them my Neji."

"Our kids decided to steal a drop ship and go to the ground. If they aren't willing to be warriors, they will not survive." Fugaku spat.

"Well, that is neither here nor there at the moment. I came to give you the photos of the images on the ground." Hiashi said as he slid a photo to the Chancellor.

Fugaku picked up the photo and looked at it closely. There was no way to deny it. The vampires weren't gone. They were thriving and they were feeding on the kids. He ran a hand over his eyes and sighed. Yes, those kids better learn to be warriors.

Hiashi slipped quietly from his office. Fugaku turned and pressed the button on the remote. There was the camp and the drop ship. Kids were going inside and the door was closing to fend off vampires while they slept.

His blood boiled at the thought that three of his sons betrayed him and had gone to the ground. He couldn't keep them safe from up here and he couldn't keep those hooligans away from his boys up here.

As he glared at the screen his only thought was that those hooligans had better take care of his boys. Hating the thought of them even being together, he decided that it was better than his boys out there wandering around alone and vulnerable.

He closed his eyes and prayed that Kami would have mercy on their souls.

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**A/N: So this chapter gave me a bit of trouble and I had no idea that Malice was going to be the girl that Talon fed from, really. I just write and things come out. It amazes even me. **

**So as you see Malice is alive and well thanks to Talons blood. One of the Arc's has crashed to the ground and it is only a matter of time before others fail completely. Stay tuned to see what will happen next. I don't even know myself. **


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